


At the Touch of a Lover

by VerdiWithin



Series: Talisman [59]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Reunion Sex, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27237013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin
Summary: Persephone is planning a housewarming party with a special surprise.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Series: Talisman [59]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497371
Comments: 52
Kudos: 278





	At the Touch of a Lover

**Author's Note:**

> Previously in this series: 
> 
> Persephone has been forced to leave Hades for six months, but she and Hades have a plan in motion to thwart Demeter. Persephone is pregnant; no one else knows but Eileithyia.

My mother looks up from the field of young barley we’ve been working on together. “What do you mean, you’re having a party?”

“Just that, Mother. A housewarming party.”

She frowns. “I thought it wasn’t anywhere near done.”

I’ve noticed that she’s been in denial about the construction. Maybe while I was living in a tent she thought it was still possible I could move back in with her. “The crew has been working day and night. Hades offered them a generous bonus.”

She’s getting better at controlling her face when I mention my husband. “I would have thought you have plenty to do without frivolous social things.”

I shrug. “Social things are also an important part of my life. Will you come to the party? Friday night?”

“I’d be delighted, darling, but are you sure? Your friends aren’t exactly happy with me.”

“But I want you to be there.” I feel horribly manipulative saying this, but it’s true. 

“Then of course I’ll come.”

I nod. “Good. I need to get going now. I have other duties.”

“Can I bring anything?”

“No need. It’s going to be catered.”

I notice her frown as I transfer away. I emerge back at the house, and nearly get knocked over by a fast-moving cyclops carrying an armload of stuff. “Sorry, lady!” he calls.

“My fault!” I scoot out of the way, and wander through the rooms, checking on today’s progress. Workers are painting some of the rooms, installing the floor finishes in others, completing the tile work in the bathrooms. The kitchen cabinets have been placed in the time I was gone today, and as I watch, a group brings in the counters. 

Hephaestus spots me and comes over to talk. “Looks like we’re on schedule to have all the major pieces in place by tonight. The decorators are impatient to get to work.”

“It’s amazing! I can’t believe how fast it’s coming together.”

He laughs. “Deadlines and serious bonuses will do that. I can’t tell you how awesome it is for me to work on a project with a real budget.” 

“Likewise for me to work with someone who knows how to get things done. I’m trying to coordinate this sports center thing back in the Underworld, and there’s just too many people trying to interfere with it. It needs a strong leader.”

Hephaestus holds up his hands. “Not me! I’ve got to get back to my own projects after this.”

“Oh no, I realize that. I’m just saying I appreciate that you were willing to take this on.”

“It’s the least I can do, Auntie. Everyone knows what you’ve done for all of us. I’m grateful for the worshippers I still have.” He pats me on the shoulder and then goes chasing after a cyclops who is installing a shelf in the wrong place. I leave him to it, and continue my inspection tour.

Outside in the central courtyard, an awning has been set up to shelter Psyche’s on-site studio. She’s doing a painting for me. To keep it a secret from Hades, she’s working on it here instead of back in Olympus. I come in quietly, trying not to disturb her. I love watching this. My friend knows how to do things with form and color that seem illogical at first, but then my eye blends it with the surrounding colors and it all makes sense. The picture taking shape under her brush is going to be glorious.

Psyche works for a few minutes without acknowledging my presence, and seems to reach a point where she’s satisfied. She turns with a smile. “What do you think so far?”

“It’s going to be even better than I imagined.”

“You are so easy to please, my friend,” Psyche says. “I will work for you any day.”

I laugh, knowing what she means. “Is Hera still not satisfied with the portrait?”

Psyche rolls her eyes very slightly. “No, there are yet more details she wants me to fix. She has a very firm idea of the image she wants.”

“As long as she doesn’t need any more sittings.”

She laughs. “Can you imagine?”

“If only! Hera might be the only person who could bend my mother to her will.”

Psyche looks startled. She apparently hadn’t been referring to my forced separation from Hades. “Oh, my friend! I am so--”

“Don’t worry about it. I can’t help feeling bitter sometimes.”

She nods. “And you are trying so hard to be positive with your mother.”

“Yeah. I really do want to have her in my life.” I have a sudden idea. “So, with your new abilities with insight--what do you get from her? If that's all right to ask.”

Psyche pauses to consider. “She is very conflicted. She is afraid of losing you, and she knows she has made mistakes. I think her instincts are at war with one another.”

That makes sense to me. “Do you think she could ever accept Hades in my life?”

“Most of what I feel from her about him is resentment rather than fear or hatred. I am not sure if that is better, though.”

That fits, too. Mother hoped I would be her companion for life. “I’m not sure, either.”

I take my leave of my friend and go back into the house. It’s all on one floor, arranged in a horseshoe shape. The arms point toward the distant village and embrace a formal courtyard that welcomes visitors to the house. Entering at the far end of the courtyard, I step through the foyer into the living room, where glass doors look out onto the terrace and the view beyond. To the right is the master bedroom with its attendant spaces. To the other side is the dining room, kitchen, family room, and guest wing.

In the master bedroom, I find another artist at work. He’s a lot more temperamental than Psyche, but some personal attention from me usually soothes his ego. He notices me as soon as I step through the door. “I can’t focus with all this chaos around me! Can’t you tell them to work somewhere else?”

There are no workers in the bedroom at the moment, though I can hear them in the master bath next door. “I’m so sorry you’ve been disturbed. I do appreciate that you’re doing amazing work in difficult circumstances.”

He frowns, somewhat mollified. “Well… I do want my work to have the perfect setting, as well.”

“Exactly! And it’s coming along so beautifully! I know it’s going to be exquisite.”

The artist sighs dramatically and waves a hand, suggesting he’s done conversing with me. “I have no time to waste! I must get back to work.”

I tiptoe out. I need to get back to my own work. The big doors in the living room are wide open to the future terrace, allowing a pleasant breeze to waft in. The weather has improved a lot lately. At night it still gets chilly, but the days are lovely and warm.

I have a table set up outside for my work, out of the way of the construction. I go out to find it’s been moved way over by the edge of the hill, because workers are installing the slate paving stones for the terrace. Another group is hard at work in the pit that’s going to be the pool. I smile in satisfaction. I had thought I would have to live with a few things not being completed at the time of the party, but it seems my husband was right. Throwing money at this particular problem  _ is _ going to make it go away.

I sit down at my makeshift desk. I take out a writing pad and start on a letter to Hades. I have much to tell him.

***

I’ve been writing for a while when I become aware there are people watching me. Eunelia and Serapis are standing respectfully by the side of my desk, waiting with folded hands. 

“Good afternoon. You have news for me?” I ask.

“We have finished setting the boundary stones, gentle goddess,” Eunelia says.

“Oh, good. What are your next steps?”

“We have consulted priests of Zeus and Poseidon, to determine the proper rituals,” Serapis says. “We will begin those tomorrow, and have everything completed in three days.”

“Perfect. If there are any obstacles at all, I want to know about them at once. I don’t want any delays.”

Eunelia nods. “We foresee no difficulties, Mistress. We have all the necessary supplies and your servants have been most helpful.”

“I'm glad to hear it. Are both of you satisfied with the proposal for your new homes?”

They give me abashed smiles. “Your generosity is unparalleled, goddess,” says Serapis. “My family and I are delighted.”

“I as well,” Eunelia adds.

“Good. If you two do as I have asked, I will count it a bargain. Construction should begin the day after tomorrow.”

They bow and depart, descending the hill to go back to the village. I finish my letter and begin to tackle the mountain of reports from the Underworld that await my attention. I get deeply absorbed in a description of the sport center’s progress, but look up when a shadow falls over my page. A group of nymphs is standing before my desk.

“Hi!” says Iasis. “We brought you berries!”

My heart sinks. I thought I had trained them to stop bringing me berries from Elysium. I truly don’t need more fruit. “Oh, thanks,” I say, trying to be polite.

“The first fruits of the season,” Sinoe puts in. “Spring is triumphant!”

A thrill grips me. Proof that Spring has truly returned? Proof that the Earth can still produce food, and sustain the mortals? “Thank you so much! What have you brought me?”

They show me the basket filled with tiny new strawberries, and I’m just as delighted as I would be if I made them myself. Because I did, pretty much. The world is healing. My friends leave me with the fruit, take my lists of tasks, and get back to work.

It's late afternoon when Hecate arrives for a planned meeting. I’ve been nibbling strawberries for hours, and I offer her some. I can smell the meat roasting for the workers’ dinner and it’s making me grumpy knowing that I probably won’t be able to sneak any. This pregnancy thing is crazy!

Hecate politely takes a few berries as she sits down with me. “Hades chose a caterer, I think you’ll be pleased,” she says. “And they agreed to work with your cyclops chef as you wanted.”

“Good. I want to see Acmonides do well. He talks about starting his own restaurant, and if he does I intend to help him.”

“Will it be a problem for you if the caterers work here starting the day after tomorrow?” 

“No, it’s fine. So long as I can get something to eat.”

“Yes, that’s very specifically part of their contract.”

We exchange smiles and eye rolls over Hades’s fussing. It amuses me, but at the same time, I’m grateful for it. I’m not really equipped to do all the work I need to do and also take adequate care of myself.

“I’ve been working with Eros and Kompsos on your gown for the party. I have photos, if you want to see them.”

“That’s okay. I trust you all, and it’s kind of nice to be surprised.”

“All right. My main item on the agenda is this whole volcano inspection tour. Hades has been putting together all the reports, and as you’ve said, there don’t seem to be any serious indicators.”

“Right, that’s what I figured.”

“Except that there’s a big gap in the data,” she says, frowning.

“How do you mean?”

“We have no observations for Aetna.”

“Oh.” I think about that. “When we were in Sicily very briefly, a couple months ago, there was a small earthquake.”

“Yes, but you had gotten that venom from the lamia, so Hades didn’t take time to check on it.”

“Right. I visited my mother’s house last week, and nothing happened. Though of course I didn’t go to the mountain.”

“No, it’s best avoided.”

I hesitate for a long moment. “Hecate… what is it about Aetna that’s so awful? No one will tell me.”

She swallows hard. “There are…  _ things _ buried under it. Things better forgotten.”

“Monsters from the Titanomachy?”

“Yes. And before. Gaia and Ouranos’s mistakes.” 

She shudders, and I am left contemplating the horrible notion of walking nightmares that can frighten  _ her _ . This explains why neither my mother nor Hades wants to discuss it. 

“Why are they not in Tartarus?”

“Their capture predates our control over Tartarus, you see. At the time, any available prison would do.”

“And in all this time, no one has revisited the proper disposition of these monsters?”

“How would we move them?” Hecate says, flat and stark.

“Oh. I see.”

After she goes, my mood is soured. I wonder what  _ other _ secrets there are that my elders have never bothered to share with me. I know Hades at least doesn’t actively try to keep me in the dark, but there must be dozens of things I ought to know that he just hasn’t thought to tell me. I’ll probably feel a little ignorant for a long time to come. I smile to myself. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad about keeping my pregnancy secret. It’s the one thing I have.

Just like that, my entire focus is on my body. I’m hungry and the nausea grips me. I  _ want  _ that roast meat, desperately. Almost enough to just walk over to the kitchen tent and demand a plate. Acmonides would give it to me, no questions asked. And watch me eat it, too. 

I sit still, breathing slowly to control my roiling belly. Dinner will be soon. No doubt there will be a nice plate of pasta or tofu casserole for me. In only a few days, this charade will be over. I’ll be able to eat what I want and do what I want.

Psyche comes up to my desk, smiling and wiping paint from her hands with a rag. “Do you mind if I stay for supper, dear friend?”

“No, of course I don’t mind. Is Eros coming, too?”

“He is with Hades today but I believe he will be here tomorrow. I am starving, are you?”

“Yes! Let’s go see if it’s ready.”

As we approach the table, the kitchen staff starts bringing out laden platters and we sit down to eat. It’s a cheerful, joking meal: the cyclopes are happy that the main work is done and their bonuses seem secure. The cooks turned out a lavish spread to mark the occasion. I pick at my seitan and veggies while watching everyone devour plate after plate of barbecue. I hope there are leftovers I can raid later when I have privacy.

They all want to celebrate, but I’m impatient for everyone to clear out. I’m planning to have a shower, the first hot shower I’ve had in nearly a month. I’m going to get totally clean in perfect privacy, and then climb into the clean sheets on my little camp bed in the big empty bedroom with the locked door. My standards of luxury have taken a nosedive.

***

The decorating squad shows up even earlier than the cyclops workers. I’m sitting on my new kitchen counter, eating yogurt and fruit for my first nausea-staving breakfast, when someone knocks on the terrace door. It’s just barely past dawn. I go over to open the doors to a large group of well-dressed people. While I’m only wearing socks and my husband's hoodie.

“Um, good morning everyone,” I say. “You’re eager to get started, I guess?”

Eros pushes his way through the crowd. “I hope you weren’t planning to decorate a new house without help from your personal stylist!”

I laugh, and beckon everyone in. “I already know you’ve been on a shopping binge with Hades these past few weeks.”

“Oh Perse, just wait til you see what we’ve bought! It’s been so much  _ fun  _ spending your money.”

I go back to the counter and hop up again. “I’m just looking forward to furniture. The only thing in the whole house right now is my cot.”

“We’ll make sure you have enough to be comfortable by the end of today.”

“Great. And everything will be done for the party on Friday?”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh, definitely. You should see the way Hades speaks to the suppliers. He glares at them and they promise him absolutely anything.”

A massive wave of mixed emotions overpowers me: pride, sadness, lust, longing. Pregnancy keeps my emotions very close to the surface, and I nearly burst into tears. I concentrate on the taste of berries in my mouth, and my friend’s chatter. “I think I’d better get dressed,” I interrupt. “Then we can talk about a plan for today.”

Eros tilts his head and eyes me shrewdly. “Take all the time you want, Perse. You’re doing amazingly well, you know.”

I swallow down both my tears and the last of my yogurt, and make my escape to the bedroom.

***

Deliveries start showing up in a steady stream. First, the furniture arrives: beds, sofas, tables, chairs. Eros seems to know where everything goes, so I leave him to it. I handle the smaller items.

The boxes from home are carefully labelled in Hades’s hand: Furnishings, Books, Kitchen Items, Personal. I know what “Personal” means--open those away from anyone else. They don’t necessarily contain anything naughty, but anyone seeing boxes full of Hades’s clothes would probably figure out something’s up.

One of these deliveries is labelled “Pretty.” I open it and find it’s full of beautifully glazed pottery bowls in many sizes. They’re glossy pink, red, and orange, with undertones of blue and gold showing through the cracks in the glaze. I think they’re absolutely gorgeous. I find a note as I dig through the box: 

> _ Thought these might go on the shelves in the foyer. If not, send them back, not a problem. Love, H. _

Clearly he’s been enjoying the shopping. I try the bowls on the newly-completed shelves by the front door, and they do indeed fit well. With the little display lights shining on them, they seem to glow with sunset colors. I smile as I look at them. My house is coming together.

***

After lunch, all the plants arrive and I'm  _ ecstatic.  _ The cyclops workers have often joked about the fact that I'm an easygoing employer, but today they find me anything but. I approved the placement of every shrub and flower in the landscape plan and I want it followed exactly. There are corner beds in the courtyard with fruit trees, flowering shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Hanging baskets overflow with bright flowers in mixed colors. Out on the terrace, raised vegetable beds define the edges of the hill.

I move from station to station, approving the work and using my powers to encourage the plants to take root. I order water and fertilizer where necessary and the cyclopes jump to do my bidding. Eventually I settle down to work on a bed outside the kitchen doors. I know what I want here, and I dig in with enthusiasm, losing myself in pleasant daydreams while I garden.

“Wow, you really have some work ethic, you know?” says a voice. 

I look up from my herbs to see Eileithyia lounging on the edge of a planting bed, watching me. I look down at my peplos, streaked with dirt, and my filthy hands. “It’s Spring, what do you expect?” I grin at her.

She nods, and looks around to see if anyone is in earshot. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Some nausea, but eating frequently mostly takes care of it.”

“Glad to hear it. Anything else?”

“Lots of little things. Just enough so I know it’s true, not enough so that I really feel the impact of it.”

“I know what you mean. The impact will grow as you do.”

I giggle, picturing myself as round as a beach ball. “That is just the weirdest feeling. Knowing I’m carrying around a new person.”

“You’re happy about it, though? I wasn’t sure at first.”

“Yeah… I am. And scared and shocked. But very happy. I just hadn’t really planned for it yet.”

“I suspect you still haven’t told Uncle Hades.”

I hesitate. I can’t lie, though, or she might accidentally give it away to him. “No, I haven’t told him.”

“Is there anything I should know about that? I want to support you in every way I can. Not only is it my job, but we’re friends.”

“It’s… complicated. I want him to know, and I’ll tell him soon. You said I had another week or two before others will figure it out.”

“Yes. Normally I would expect people who spend a lot of time with you to already guess, but the thing is, your aura is already different. Probably because it’s Spring.”

I think it over. This isn’t the first time someone has mentioned something about my aura. It’s weird having people talk about that so much when my whole life before no one talked about it. “That makes sense, I guess. Spring this year is much more work, and a more dramatic change.”

“Exactly. Is the work tiring you out?”

“Yes and no. It’s exhausting but also exhilarating. I try to rest all I can, like you said. It’s tough though, living in a construction site.”

“I’ll bet it’ll be a relief to have everything done.”

“Sure. I’ll see you at the party?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it. Everyone is talking about this being the party of the year.”

I can’t resist. I look directly into my friend’s eyes. “I assure you, it will be  _ spectacular. _ ”

A slow smile of understanding spreads over Eileithyia’s face. “I’m so happy to hear that, dear Auntie. You know I’ve been rooting for you.”

I stifle a laugh. An irresistible urge is growing in me. “Yes, it’s been very hard maintaining a lawn-distance relationship.” 

She stares at me with wide eyes and an expression of utter horror. “Oh dear. If you’re making plant puns, you’ve clearly been away from Uncle Hades too long.”

“You know I’m very frond of him. This whole thing is so stressful, I’m gonna wet my plants.”

“I am out of here!”

“See you at party thyme!”

With a little giggle, I get back to my gardening, but I’m quickly done with the herb bed. I look around and see that my helpers are nearly done, too. I clean up and take the list of problem areas the nymphs have assembled for me, and go make Spring as productive and beautiful as I possibly can. I don’t return to Eleusis until full dark, and I’m grateful to find that Acmonides fed the dogs and left food for me in the refrigerator. I eat my quiche cold rather than bother to heat it up, and go to bed.

I worked my tail off all day long. Add to that the exhaustion of early pregnancy, and I ought to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I don’t, though. I’m much too excited. 

***

The morning before the party, Mother finds me in my new laundry room, pulling a set of freshly-washed black sheets from the dryer. She automatically takes an end to help fold, even while I can see her doubtful expression because of their color.

“Darling, I know you’re excited about finishing the house, but what about your work? Someone needs to be managing Spring!”

“You think I’m neglecting my domain?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just concerned.”

“I have dozens of nymphs in my employ, out and about with specific lists of things they need to check. Then they come back with their reports, and I’m able to focus my efforts precisely where they’re needed. Spring is on-schedule, I assure you.”

I pick up the sheets and start walking, knowing she’ll follow. We go through the kitchen, where the caterers for the party are hard at work, then pass the dining room and living room on the way to the master bedroom. I stop to admire the newly-completed mosaic on the big wall behind the bed. It depicts a cityscape of the Underworld rendered in dark colors. It makes me smile. Hades will love it, I’m sure.

Mother inspects the room, with its dramatic decor and the huge bed, just waiting to be made up. “What’s the point of all this? Why do you need such a big house? If you wanted more space, I could give you that at home. I have plenty!”

Her tone is nearly panicky. I find this intriguing.

“I belong in my home in the Underworld, Mother. I want to remember it, while I am forced to be here.” I watch her carefully, and catch a flinch. She doesn’t like what I said.

Eros comes in from the dressing room with a bunch of pillows in his arms. “She’s literally a queen. Why shouldn’t she have her own house?” he says, as if he’s honestly confused.

“Mind your own business, love brat!” Mother snaps. She keeps her temper for me, but anyone else sets her off.

“Oh, it’s not my business how you disparage my domain and keep two people apart who are deeply in love? Good to know.” He turns his back on her with a sassy twist to his hips. 

I spread the fitted sheet out on the bed and Eros moves to help me. I can tell Mother wants to help, too, but she restrains herself. Instead she stands watching us, frowning. We make the bed up with the black sheets, blankets, and silky duvet. We adorn it with an assortment of pillows, and it looks perfect against the backdrop of the shimmering mosaic.

The bed is dark, but the walls are a lovely pearl gray. Down the other end, the sitting area by the windows is furnished with comfortable chairs in brighter colors, with contrasting pillows and a throw blanket. And lots of plants. 

I can tell what my companions are thinking. Why do I want such a big bed, when I sleep alone? Eros is watching me with narrowed eyes, but then he smiles and changes the subject. 

“I was showing Hades the latest pictures last night, and he wondered if the armchairs in the study shouldn’t switch with the ones in the family room,” he says.

“Oh.” I try to picture what he means. “Yes, they might fit better. Give it a try.”

Eros nods and goes out to the living room, calling for some cyclopes to help him.

Mother is still frowning at the bed. “Since when do you like all these dark colors, anyway?”

“I’ve learned a new appreciation for contrast, Mother.”

She sighs. “I suppose I can’t tempt you away to go bless some fields with me? I was hoping we could share some worship together.”

“That’s very generous of you. Unfortunately there’s a lot to get done with the house before the party.”

“All right, little bean. I’ll get out of your way.” She looks so sad. She doesn’t really know what’s going on, but she can feel me slipping away from her. 

“Maybe we can have dinner tonight, Mama.”

“I would like that so much!”

“I’ll see you later, then.”

She goes out just as a pair of delivery men are bringing in a large item, the last piece for the bedroom. The sex couch! I’m thrilled it’s here. I point where I want it to go, in the sitting area. Naturally I have to give it a try. It’s black leather, just like the first one. I cannot wait. I sit there stroking the smooth, cool leather, picturing putting it to use.

Eros comes bursting into the room. “Ms. Queenypants, is that what I  _ think _ it is?” he squeals, hopping up and down.

“Would you  _ shush,  _ please? And yes, it is.”

“I’m so happy for you, honey! Is it the model with the D-rings for attaching restraints?” He bends to look. “Oh, it  _ is! _ Even better than your first one!”

“Can you keep your voice down?” I hiss. I had forgotten that Hades bought our original sex couch on Eros’s advice.

“ _ Pssh, _ please, Perse. I’m the soul of discretion! I haven’t said a single word about exactly why you’re preparing this little love nest, now have I?”

My eyes grow wide as I sit up abruptly. “He told you?” I whisper.

“No, baby girl, I figured it out. If you  _ really _ had to be apart from Hades for six months, you’d be a wreck and so would he. Instead, you’re walking around looking like the chimera that ate the harpy. And both of you are  _ way _ over the redline on the horny scale, so you’re clearly not meeting up in secret.”

I swallow down my panic. This is not actually a problem. So long as my mother doesn’t know, it doesn’t really matter if others figure it out. My other secret is much more important. “You’re really good at secrets, aren’t you? People don’t give you enough credit,” I say.

“ _ Girl! _ You have no idea!”

“I appreciate your discretion so much. Though of course you can tell Psyche.”

“Honey, she knows. You can’t hide much from her, let me tell you. So is there any help I can give you to make this party the blowout it needs to be?”

“You can make sure my mother understands that she only has herself to blame. Although we can probably rely on Hera for that.”

“Mm-hmm, because you plan to be otherwise occupied?”

“Naturally.”

“Good for you! There’s a price for my silence, though,” he says, grinning wickedly.

“And what is that?”

“Information. I wanna know if it’s you or Hades that likes getting tied up.”

I shake my head. “I was brought up to believe in taking turns.”

***

I’m up crazy early Friday morning, barely able to sleep for the excitement. The party is tonight, and I still have a list of tasks as long as my arm, though Eros keeps reminding me that my primary job is to show up looking gorgeous. I don’t know if I can live up to that expectation. The past month, I’ve barely done self-care beyond washing myself and brushing my hair occasionally. I suppose eating and sleeping count, particularly for a pregnant woman. And reading letters from my husband.

I start my day with a few hours of Spring work, then return home for party preparations. I smile to myself as I look over my list, moving through the house, checking on the ongoing projects. Psyche is supervising the hanging of her painting in the living room, so I’ll be able to check that off soon. The dining table is just being delivered, the last of the large furniture. A swarm of caterers is hard at work in the kitchen, Acmonides among them. He spots me and hands over a plate of food he saved for me, grinning when I thank him. I check the guest wing and then the courtyard. People are putting up torches for later, and the workers are preparing the finishing touch for tonight.

As I enter the front door, my mother is coming in from the terrace. Her face lights up as she sees me. “There you are, little bean! I was hoping I could help you get ready for your party.”

She looks around and sees the hordes of fast-moving people, all with their lists of tasks.

“Of course you can,” I tell her. 

I grab a box I have ready and move around the living room, setting framed photographs onto shelves, tables, and cabinets. Mother’s expression when I set down the first one is absolutely frozen. It’s a photo of Hades and me from one of the portrait painting sessions, so he’s wearing his uniform and holding his bident, and I’m wearing my coronation gown with the cape-train. Our pose isn’t formal at all, though--we’re laughing together, nearly hilarious. 

Psyche finishes getting her painting placed, and comes over to see. “Oh, I remember that day. Hades made all those terrible jokes.”

I giggle. “I don’t think Zeus got any of them.”

Psyche bites her lip and shakes her head, but I don’t think she’s disagreeing.

My mother just looks sad, which annoys me. What right has she to be saddened by my happiness?

I smile fondly at the photo, then select the next one. This one shows the two of us piled with dogs, sitting in front of the waterfall in Elysium. “What do you think, Mama? Here on the console, or perhaps in the family room?”

She glances at it and appears to consider. “Perhaps it’s less formal?”

None of the pictures I have are very formal, but I don’t mind indulging her. We walk past the dining room, where the staff are already laying out floral arrangements and setting up catering stands. I avoid the busy kitchen area and instead go into the family room at the opposite end of the big open space. I set up several photos on various surfaces, pausing to admire each one. 

There are only a few photos, so this doesn’t take a lot of time. I look at the next task on my list:  _ check in with Eunelia. _

A voice is calling me from the living room, I recognize it as Eros.

“Perse? Hey Queenypants, where are you?”

“What is it, Eros?” I walk down the hall to find him, my mother trailing after.

“There you are!” he says, grinning at me. “Put down that clipboard, girl, it’s spa time!” He gestures behind him, at a group of professional-looking nymphs wearing black smocks, like upscale medical scrubs. “I brought the full array!”

“Oh--” I start, but he interrupts.

“None of that  _ I’ve got work to do _ nonsense! Today you’re going to act like a queen, giving orders and getting your nails done.” He wags a stern finger at me. 

I shake my head, looking at my task list. “This is really kind, but I have so much to do.”

He glares at me, folds his arms, and walks right up to me to murmur words just for my ears. “I was told if you balked, to say  _ Doctor’s orders. _ ”

I nearly choke on a giggle. “He really thought that would work?”

“He really thinks you ought to take care of yourself. And he’s right.” He directs a sideways glance at my mother.

I frown. It’s true I haven’t been doing a great job at that. I look down at my hands. My nails  _ do _ need attention. I pat my hair, as well. I probably look frightful.

“I am happy to take care of your tasks for you,” Psyche volunteers. 

I sigh. Most of my tasks are double-checking other people’s work. The real purpose is to keep myself busy, in order to put this endless day behind me and get to the part I really want: my reward for a month’s loneliness. But both of us will be happier tonight if I’m well-groomed and well-rested.

“Okay, fine, I’ll agree to spa time,” I say. I hand Psyche my clipboard. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Mother asks. 

“Well--would you mind checking in with the dryads working in Attica today? The flooding was a big problem there.” 

“Not at all, darling. I’ll stop by later to see you.”

I’m relieved she’s not insisting on hanging around and pestering me with her concerns. She knows something’s going on, I’m certain of it. I let myself be whisked off to the bathroom by the crowd of nymphs, and reluctantly submit to their pampering.

***

I have a hot bath and then a lengthy massage. Nymphs do my hair, nails, and makeup, fussing over me like I’m some kind of diva. They bring me snacks and drinks frequently, and I dutifully consume them. No sense letting myself get nauseated. From time to time, Psyche comes in to inform me that the preparations are going smoothly. I’m tense about not checking everything myself, but I know I have to let it go.

It’s getting late in the afternoon, and the nymphs are still fussing over my hair, when Psyche enters again. “Your brother is here,” she says. “He says he wants to speak with you.”

“Oh, good, I’ll be right there.” 

I give the nymphs a break and put on a robe. I step out the terrace doors to find Arion over by the vegetable beds, idly sniffing the plants.

“Hey, it’s good to see you!” I say.

He smiles at me, a little bit tense, then looks away. “I wanted to say hello. I don’t think I can come to your party.”

“I understand. It’s too many people for you.”

“Yeah. And I don’t know if I want to see Mother yet.”

“I get that. Maybe next week we could have dinner or something? Or maybe a picnic.”

“I’d like that.”

I’ll probably be rather busy for the next week or more, but for Arion, I’ll make time. “It was kind of you to stop by anyway. I know it’s stressful for you.”

He shrugs. “Your house is really pretty. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

He nods, and looks out toward the mountains. I can tell he’s already eager to go. “Well… see you later.” He grabs me in a quick hug, then trots off down the hill.

When I go back into the living room I find Hera and Amphitrite waiting for me. Smiling, and already dressed for the party.

“Hello, you’re early!”

“We thought we’d help you prepare,” Hera says. “After all, it’s a  _ very _ important occasion. Isn’t it?”

I haven’t confided more than tiny wisps of information to them, but with the hints Hades has dropped to his brothers, I’m not surprised that they’ve figured out tonight’s significance.

“Yes, it is.” 

Amphitrite beams. “Let’s have some champagne, then!”

I smile weakly and usher them into my bedroom. The nymphs are eager to finish my hair, though I think it already looks fine. I sit pretending to drink champagne while listening to my sisters-in-law catching me up on the gossip I’ve been missing. The nymphs finish up, pack their things, and depart. I stay seated in my chair, waiting.

“Are you planning to attend your party in a robe, darling?” Amphitrite teases. 

“No, I--” 

My explanation is cut off by a knock at the door, and Kompsos himself enters with my dress in his arms. It's a floor-length gown of midnight blue, draped and flowy like a peplos, but more structured. The dark silk fabric is shot with subtle gold threads. It has a plunging neckline and two pieces of sheer fabric trailing back from the shoulders. 

I take it to the dressing room to put on in privacy. I hold my breath hoping it will fit and I'm hugely relieved that it does. Back in the bedroom, the maestro himself makes tiny adjustments while Hera and Amphitrite look on and drink more champagne.

“What jewelry are you going to wear?” Hera asks.

I glance at Kompsos. “I have no idea. All of this was taken out of my hands.”

My designer smiles. “I think you’ll be pleased, ma’am.”

As if on cue, there’s another knock at the door, and Hecate comes in, trailed by my mother in her best silk peplos. My friend is dressed in a sparkling gown of black and silver, and she’s carrying a large case in her arms.

“My Queen, I have been sent with a gift for you.” Her face splits with her sharp-edged smile. She doesn’t look at my mother, but I understand this performance is for her.

Hecate opens the case with a flourish. It’s crammed full of huge, rough-cut diamonds and rubies set in embossed gold. The overall effect is quite barbaric and splendid. I laugh. The show-off, making me jewels specifically for the Mortal Realm!

“Oh my,” Mother says. “How very, um… extravagant.”

I don't care for her tone, but it seems to me she's making an effort. "Yes, isn't it?"

I begin to sort through the case. There are so many gems that at first I can’t identify each piece’s purpose. There are earrings, a double-tiered necklace, a pair of brooches, two bracelets as well as two armlets, a headband-style crown, and a wide, long item that I realize with shock is a belt. I blink nervously. Will it fit? I have no idea if my belly has started growing yet--I’ve been wearing a peplos every day, and they’re pretty forgiving, size-wise. 

“Darling, those are  _ gorgeous!”  _ Amphitrite cries. 

“Hades has always been very generous. It’s no surprise he should go all out for his bride,” Hera says.

“Isn't it a bit much?” Mother says, fretfully.

Both Hera and Amphitrite are wearing their own sets of queenly jewels, though neither as outrageous as this. They take a moment to exchange a look.

“No,” Hera says.

“A queen ought to be fully adorned for her own party,” Amphitrite says. “Particularly since Hades isn't here. Everyone should see just how much he loves and misses her.”

“Exactly!” Hera replies. “It's tragic that they're forced to be apart. An extravagant gift like this serves as a proxy. Isn't that right, Hecate?”

“I couldn't presume to know my king's innermost thoughts,” she purrs. “But I would venture to guess that he wants his presence to be felt.” Her lips quirk when she meets my eyes and it's all I can do not to burst out laughing.

“I see,” Mother says. “I suppose I shouldn't be giving my opinion on matters outside my experience.” She tries very hard to smile for me. “May I help, darling?”

“Thank you, Mama, that's very kind.” My voice nearly cracks. Is she bending a little, just in time? Will tonight break her?

I stand still and allow myself to be decked in jewels. Mother fastens the necklace, and then Hera and Amphitrite begin to help. The belt does indeed fit, resting comfortably on my hips. It's heavy and weighs on my pelvis in a way that is… interesting.

I take a look in the mirror. All I can see is a short goddess wearing a revealing dress and an insane amount of jewelry. Her eyes blown wide, and quivering with nerves. “Do I look all right?” I ask. I honestly can’t tell. 

Everyone else waits for my mother. Her eyes are shining and she swallows hard before speaking. “You’re exquisite, sweetheart. I confess I was wrong. You make me proud.”

“Thanks, Mama.” 

Hera gives me a tiny smile and I return a nod. I suppose it’s time to get this thing moving. I open the door, walk down the short hallway past the study and into the living room. There are flowers everywhere, just as I planned them, and the waitstaff is beginning to circulate with trays of champagne flutes and appetizers. The heavenly smell of food wafts over me and my stomach growls.

A few guests have already arrived. I say hello, and then excuse myself to get a drink. The bar is set up next to the foyer, so I fetch myself a seltzer with lime, hoping others will assume there’s alcohol in it. I don’t want anyone guessing, not yet. I turn from the bar to find Zeus approaching me, smiling tentatively. He’s been trying hard to be friendly with me, and I appreciate it.

“Hey, I just pushed away a big cloud system,” he says. “You should have a nice, clear night.”

“Oh, thanks very much!” Rain would really put a crimp in my plans.

“No problem. I’m very glad to have the weather behaving normally.”

I nod. “Likewise. It’s pleasantly warm, at least.” The sun is starting to set, drenching the terrace outside with orange light. All the big glass doors are wide open to the view and the breeze.

A passing waiter offers me a crispy fried thing, so I take some. I really need to eat to keep the nausea at bay. I fill a little plate and circulate around, greeting the early guests. Hephaestus walks in from the terrace. He’s dressed in a fine chiton tonight, not the tattered leather apron I’m used to seeing him wear.

“Good evening, Auntie,” he says. “Are you pleased?”

“You know I’m thrilled. I can’t imagine all the extra work you’ve gone to in order to get this house done in only a month. Everything is exactly how I wanted it.”

He grins. “I’m delighted that you’re happy.”

I’m too tense to settle down in any one conversation. I float around, greeting people, nibbling food, drinking my seltzer, dashing to the bathroom every so often. Kynora brings me frequent updates as the last-minute tasks slot into place.

I turn from a brief chat with Athena and Hestia to find my mother waiting for my attention. She seems anxious and strained.

“You look so beautiful, darling. You’re just glowing, and you’re making so many flowers! That always indicates a good mood, doesn’t it?”

I reach up to pat my hair. The blue roses are thick indeed, and shedding petals wherever I go. “Thank you, Mama. You look lovely tonight, too.”

“I’m so happy to see you flourishing, Persephone,” Mama says. “Maybe this means you’re starting to feel more… yourself?”

I’m startled. She so rarely uses my proper name. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m just saying, you’ve been so hostile since you came home. I know you needed time to… acclimate. And my actions made your job so much harder.”

I pause, thinking it over. She’s relenting somewhat, no longer implying that my time with Hades must have traumatized me. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Mother. Honestly, in terms of my domain, I’ve never felt more fulfilled. What you did makes Spring that much more important.”

“Oh, I wish others could take that attitude. My priestesses are still very upset with me. I have had to make a number of concessions to them.”

I can’t say I’m surprised. “You did breach the compact between mortals and gods.”

She sighs deeply. “So many of them are mothers. I thought they would understand.”

“It’s precisely  _ because _ so many of them are mothers that they couldn’t tolerate the threat to their children, I’m sure.” Ironically, I’m starting to understand this on a deep, visceral level. There is little I wouldn’t do to protect my unborn child.

“Little bean, seeing you here like this, looking so well… I can’t say I regret it.”

I decide to change the topic. I know I’m not going to get anywhere by telling my mother that her Winter was a bad decision. “We all make choices. Some of them have consequences that hurt others, even if that’s not the intention.”

“That’s very true, darling. We have to make the best choices we have available.”

I nod. “Exactly. The best available, though the choices may be limited.”

“I’m very pleased that we’re starting to understand each other!” Mother says, beaming at me. “I’m doing my best for you.”

“Unfortunately, some choices really ought to be off limits, out of respect for other people’s autonomy,” I say. Mother draws back, eyes widening. “Let me ask you this. If Metis had tried to force you to do as she thought best, even though you  _ knew _ you had to take another path, what would you have done?”

I walk away while she’s still staring at me in surprise. 

It’s full dark outside, and I wonder how preparations are going. I’m more than ready. I eat and drink a little more, speak to several people. Everyone’s offering praise for the house and the speed with which it was completed. More than that, they all seem full of gentle concern for me. I smile and have to force myself to keep quiet.

In the corner of the family room, I find Hebe curled up, playing with the dogs. I smile and crouch down to speak with her.

“Are you having fun, smart girl?”

“Hi Aunt Persephone! You have yummy food at this party.”

I laugh. “I’m glad you like it. I have an important job for you. Can you be in charge of the dogs tonight? So they don’t get in trouble?”

“Sure!” she says. I know perfectly well she’d probably stay with them anyway, but now she knows I think she’s a good doggy caretaker.

As I straighten up from speaking to her, I notice a pair of mortals at the terrace doors, waiting for me, tensely eyeing the other immortals and my glittering, modern-style house.

“Is it done?” I ask.

“The work is complete, dread goddess,” Serapis replies.

“We shall ready the sacrifices now,” Eunelia adds.

They go out to the central courtyard together, to the far corner set aside for their work. I send the Furies to keep an eye out so no one interferes with them.

Hecate approaches me, tucking her phone away under her gown. “I just got a text. He’s ready anytime.”

“Good.” I smooth my dress and try to breathe, to calm my fluttering stomach.

“You all right?”

“I will be. It’s just nerves.”

“You’re doing fine.” She smiles and pats my shoulder. “A few more minutes, and you won’t be alone.”

I nod. “Thank you for all you’ve done. I couldn’t have survived this without your support. Neither of us could.”

“It’s my pleasure, Persephone. Truly. I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this.”

I stifle a giggle. “Me too.”

I go out to the courtyard. Behind me, various friends are encouraging others to come outside as well, to be witnesses. The yard is lit with torches, whose light flickers on the paving stones and the abundant plants in the corner beds. Two cyclops workers are waiting for me at the center of the court. 

“Ready, lady?” one asks.

“Yes, go ahead.”

The two of them pick up long metal bars that they use to lever up the huge disk lying ready to be installed. They grunt and shove it into the gap in the paving stones left open for it. In just a few minutes of effort, the massive stone-and-metal seal settles with a _ thump. _ It depicts Cerberus, rendered in black marble, set in a ring of roses made from pink quartz. There are touches of other stones in it as well, lending small splashes of color. It’s gorgeous.

I smile at the workers. “Thank you both, very much. I hope you’ll stay and enjoy the party.”

They nod, and step away. I stand looking at the seal, listening to the murmurs of party guests around me. They expect me to speak, I suppose. Kynora comes up and hands me a pitcher of wine. I thank her, and turn to face the waiting crowd.

They break off their conversations and stand listening attentively. I let them wait a bit, heightening the drama of the moment. Zeus and Hera are standing right at the front, with Poseidon and Amphitrite next to them. On Hera’s other side, Hecate is herding my mother into place. I smile. Eros and Psyche are here, and Eileithyia with Iakhos, Hestia and Athena, Artemis and Nemesis, Ares and Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hebe, the Furies, Hermes. All of my nymph friends are grouped together at the side, next to the crowd of cyclops workers. Everyone I care about is here. Except for one. Well, two.

“Thank you all for coming tonight. I am delighted to welcome all of you to my new home.”

There are smiles and a smattering of applause. 

“Constructing a building of this size in only a month is a remarkable achievement. I have many people to thank for it, but I will limit myself tonight to praising Hephaestus and his crew. They have worked relentlessly to get this house done and I am deeply grateful for their efforts and their concern for my comfort.”

I wait while everyone applauds and Hephaestus smiles at me. 

“I hope you will enjoy yourselves this evening. You may have noticed the presence of mortals here.” I wave my hand to the corner, where Eunelia and Serapis wait. They nod to me. They’re ready, too. “Please don’t mind them; they have vital duties to perform.”

I lift the pitcher of wine high, holding it away from my body. I tilt it slowly and pour it out over the new seal, a libation to officially complete my new house. I continue pouring until every drop is gone. Kynora scampers forward to take the pitcher and I thank her quietly.

Everyone stares in fascination. They can tell there’s more to come, though they have no idea what. I take a deep breath. There’s no going back from this, and the consequences could be dire. I catch Hecate’s eye for a moment; she gives me a tiny smile and nod. I sink to my knees, well aware of the crowd’s attention. Heads tilt in confusion. Why would a goddess kneel, and in her own home? 

Slowly I raise my hands up high and bring them down sharply, smacking the ground. I repeat the process, hearing the gasps around the courtyard as several people catch on to what I’m doing. 

“No!” cries a voice, undoubtedly my mother’s.

It’s far too late. As I rise to my feet, I can already feel the ground trembling. I turn toward the outer gate, my back to the house and the waiting crowd. The light from the torches seems to dim as darkness gathers in a swirling vortex. My heart pounds with wild excitement and I don’t flinch when there’s a huge, cracking  _ boom. _ A stiff wind blows out from the dark portal, nearly extinguishing the torches. They flare up again and everyone murmurs in surprise. Shadows emerge from the portal, cast by figures moving with strong light behind them. One is approaching quite rapidly and I take a few steps forward in eagerness.

All at once Cerberus bounds out of the vortex, huge and three-headed. He pauses a moment to look around, and the waiting crowd gasps in shock. There are even a few shrieks of dismay, but I laugh as I run to him. He sees me and barks in thunderous joy, then leaps forward. By the time he’s upon me he’s regular-size and one-headed. 

“Oh, my good boy! I missed you so much!” I grab him and ruffle his sleek black fur, bury my face in his neck. He licks my face and I giggle. I’m thrilled to see him, but I can’t drag my eyes away from the other shadow. Moving with stately dignity, though no less eagerly than the dog. I blink, and suddenly the shadow has well-defined edges. A silhouette. A tall man, broad-shouldered and gracefully built, wearing a long chiton and himation. He strides forward a bit more and the light of the torches catches his skin and hair. Our eyes lock together. 

A sob climbs my throat and I do nothing to stop it. My emotions are swelling like a storm cloud full of rain but I don’t care who sees. Let them all know how much I love my husband, how painful our separation has been. I start to walk towards him but I can’t maintain that pace. I break into a run, and he’s running too, and then we crash together, arms tangling around one another. 

He lifts me off my feet and over his head, grins up at me, and whirls me around in a circle. I cling to his shoulders and make a lot of undignified shrieks and giggles, totally unsuitable for a queen. The noisier I am, the more Hades laughs too, until I can't resist him any longer. I swoop in to capture his mouth but he easily wrests control from me, with one hand light on the back of my neck. It's a deep, demanding, possessive kiss that leaves my nipples hard, my knees weak, and my pulse pounding between my thighs. He smells so  _ incredibly _ good and I would be floating away with joy, except he has a tight grip on me.

“Was that entrance dramatic enough for you?” Hades whispers.

“It was sufficient, my dearest.”

“Miss me?”

“I'd like to drag you to the ground right now!”

“If that’s what you truly want, little goddess,” he growls. 

I can feel his heat against my thighs and I'm very tempted. I picture it and I'm dizzy with lust. “M-m-maybe we’d better stick with the original plan?”

He sets me gently down on my feet and kisses me again. “Lead the way, Sweetness.”

Hades holds his arm out, bent formally, and I take it in both of mine. We’re both still giggling as I lead him to the corner where his priest and my priestess wait. Cerberus sticks by my side. As we approach, the two mortals drop to their knees. 

Serapis holds out a small platter, on which rests a skewer of steaming meat, scenting the air with a delicious odor. My mouth waters, but it’s not for me.

“Dread lord,” Serapis says, lifting the platter high in offering. “I pledge my eternal service to you. Please accept this sacrifice!”

Hades glances at me, his eyes wide, and I smile. This is a new experience for him, one that I very much want him to have. He lifts the skewer and examines it for a moment. “Your offering is acceptable,” he says. “We are pleased to rest here in this place you have sanctified.”

He raises the redolent lamb skewer to his mouth and tears into it with his teeth. A drop of juice runs down his chin before he wipes it away with his other hand. I’m breathless and trembling watching him eat. I can’t tell which I want more--to consume the meat myself, or to feel Hades’s teeth in my own flesh. 

It takes him only a few moments to finish the offering, and then Hades takes a long breath in, his eyes drifting shut. I know what he’s feeling: I’ve only recently become familiar with the astonishing sensation of receiving worship from mortals. I cling to his arm and smile up at him, vicariously enjoying his euphoria.

“I… I am honored by your reverence, Serapis,” Hades says, his deep voice resonating. “Let the rest of the meat be distributed among those in need.”

The priest nods, his pleasure evident in his face. “It shall be as you say, lord.”

Hades smiles at me, and we turn away from the mortals to face the watching crowd of friends and family. As we compose ourselves to approach the others, I feel his hand on my bottom, giving me a firm squeeze. It’s all I can do not to gasp. I take his arm, beam at him, and place my other hand on Cerberus’s head. I’m so happy I feel like I’m flying. 

Zeus and Poseidon are wearing huge grins, totally complicit in our defiance of the Agreement. Amphitrite, Hera, and Hecate manage to look more composed, but I'm certain they are no less delighted. We come to a stop facing this group, both of us smiling with the knowledge that we’ve pulled off a coup.

Mother looks ready to spit. She glares at Hades, then at me, then at Zeus. “You  _ know _ he signed an Agreement! Are you just going to let him get away with this?” she hisses.

I nod to Hecate, and she smiles, sharp and deadly. She takes a step forward and turns so the whole crowd can hear her. “This entire hill has been dedicated as a sanctuary to Hades and Persephone. In accordance with the sacred law, no god may be denied the right to visit his or her shrine or temple.”

Mother’s face is stricken with shock. She gapes at Hecate. Her mouth works and nothing comes out.

Zeus snorts, just shy of an open laugh. “As I recall, you wrote the sacred laws yourself, Demeter. You’ll have to honor them.”

“This-- this-- it’s a mockery of the law!” Mother sputters. “You  _ must  _ know why he wants to be here!”

“Surely the god and goddess in question are the ones best equipped to decide how their temple will be used,” Hera says.

Poseidon giggles. “I think they’ve already decided how.”

Amphitrite gives him a sharp elbow in the side. “It’s a fundamental principle on which all worship is based. It can’t be disputed.”

“I hope everyone will continue enjoying this party dedicating our temple,” I say. “There’s plenty of food and drink.”

“Of course, Persephone!” Hestia says. “It’s an honor to share this occasion.”

Mother stares at her, eyes wide. 

“I would  _ so _ like to show you the house, dearest,” I coo.

“Sweetness, I would like nothing better,” Hades replies. 

I can feel his voice rumbling all through my body. I’m quivering and chilled with sweat, my pulse thudding so hard I can barely think at all. My eyes are on my husband and I can’t look away.

As we step through the crowd, I hear Nemesis raising her voice to lecture my mother on why this is not a violation of the Agreement, and what will happen if Mother doesn’t honor her part of the bargain. People are staring at us as I lead Hades into the living room, gesturing around to show him the house’s main features. I catch expressions of shock and delight on the guests’ faces, but I can’t focus on them. All I care about is my lover beside me.

“The dining room is that way, and the terrace is through those doors,” I babble. “Over here is the study--” I lead him into the hallway. “Oh, and look, here’s the bedroom.”

I open the door, and turn to smile at him, my heart hammering with anticipation.

“Cerberus, sit. Guard here,” Hades says. His hand is tight on mine as we step together into the bedroom.

The door closes behind us and we turn to look at one another, smiling with nerves and delight. He’s finally  _ here  _ and I’m paralyzed with tension. We’ve each spent so much ink and paper in planning our reunion. We wrote pages and pages of descriptions of what we planned to do to one another. Some of these letters included prioritized checklists and diagrams. 

Now the moment has arrived, and I can’t even think. My senses are overspilling with him. I had forgotten how good he smells, how big he is, the soft low sound he makes when he embraces me. I want to savor every moment, go slow, touch him everywhere; at the same time I want to  _ devour _ him. 

Hades picks me up gently by the waist and folds his arms around me. I’m pressed flat to his chest and I hold on with all my strength. I missed this  _ so much. _ I’m shaking and tears are leaking from my eyes.

_ “Damn, _ you smell good, Sweetness,” he whispers against my temple. He nearly growls it, and I feel him inhale. If I were wearing any panties, they would melt right off me.

“So do you,” I reply. It comes out practically a moan. I clutch him hard with arms and legs, and run my fingers through his hair. “I can’t wait!”

“I know.” 

He makes a sling with his hands, cupping my bottom, and steps into the room. He sits on the end of the bed, me straddling his lap as best I can with my long skirts in the way. I slide forward on his thighs, rubbing against the hot pressure rising from his groin. He groans as my lips meet his. 

Hades gathers my skirt, pushing it up and freeing me to grind directly against his erection with only his chiton between us. His hands stroke my thighs, the thumbs teasing the inner slopes, making me shiver. I open as wide as I can for him, and gasp when he touches my aching core.

“What is this, little goddess? No panties?”

“I’m  _ so _ ready for you,” I tell him, then suck hard on his lower lip. “ _ Please, _ don’t make me wait!”

“I can’t. Not this time.” 

He yanks his chiton up, and I lift enough to make room, using one hand to help. When he’s bare to me, I whimper and sink back down, capturing his cock between my thighs.

“Hurry, oh, hurry! Right now!” I watch as he flexes his hips, rubbing the thick head just inside me. I'm utterly helpless, sundered from my pride, bereft of shame and restraint and anything beyond desire for him. "I need you!" I wail.

“Me too,” he sighs, pushing into me. It's been an entire month without sex, and I'm no longer used to it. My beloved is a very big man, and he's just as eager as I am. I willingly brace myself for a bit of pain--but he pauses. "I'm sorry, Kore.” His mouth is open and wet on my neck. "I'll slow down. We have all the time in the world."

“I don't want to go slow!” I whine and writhe against him, straining to get what I want.

His laugh is dark and low. "I know. Just long enough to adjust.” He sucks at my earlobe, tugging with his teeth. He's barely inside, the thick ridge of his glans rubbing my sensitive opening with tiny movements. 

I moan, surrendering to him. "Kiss me!" 

“Delighted.” He settles into my mouth, his tongue dipping inside, concentrating all his attention. 

He strokes my hair from my crown all the way down, separating the strands with his fingers. This is Hades, my beloved husband. The memories of him cascade through my mind: being understood so easily, so profoundly--and just like that, a door opens within me. A floodgate. My tension melts away, and my body remembers how to do this. My fluids begin to flow in earnest, lubricating the delicious slide of his cock in my swollen passage. I squirm in his lap and moan against his lips as he slowly fills me.

“Yesssss… oh please, Hades. Oh, yes, oh!”

When he reaches his limit he groans in his throat, the vibration of it setting off quivers deep inside me. He then proceeds to make love to me as if he's just learned that I am breakable, that too sharp a movement could snap me in two. I can’t stop thinking that what we have is extremely vulnerable, that we nearly lost it all--my tears spill over and wash down my cheeks.

“Oh, Sweetness. If you cry, I will too--”

“I'm sorry! I can't stop it.”

“So be it,” he whispers.

He holds me tight to his chest, kissing me, stroking with his hands, his hips moving in a slow, rocking rhythm. Tears mingle and slide down our cheeks so that I drink the salt of them with his tender kisses.

I hook my feet behind his hips and cling to my husband with all my strength. What we’re rekindling between us, a fragile new start to our relationship--it’s gossamer and dewy, like a new-hatched butterfly. I pour my love into my kisses, shuddering in response to the brush of his hands on my body. 

Scorching heat is growing in my loins, so intense it feels like my entire skin should burn against his. I buck in Hades’s lap, the coiling tension inside me building in power, dominating my thoughts and emotions, taking control. It grows to a force that’s unstoppable in its power and I wail when it suddenly crests, my climax crashing down on me, making my hands clench and my core throb with rippling shocks of white-hot pleasure. Hades is groaning too, and I feel him spurting inside me. I’m almost disappointed that it was so quick, but that’s ridiculous. We’re not done tonight, not by a long shot.

I open my eyes to find Hades studying me, panting and sweaty. There are tiny, glowing butterflies perched all over his head and shoulders, and petals drifting in the air to settle on the bed and floor around us. 

Hades clears his throat, struggling to speak. “You are even more entrancing than I remember.” His voice is breathy.

I twine my arms round his neck and whisper right in his ear. “There is no one else like you. No one whose scent makes my knees weak and whose glance makes me melt inside. I need all of you!”

“I gave you all of me, and half my kingdom. I meant forever, Persephone.”

My throat is gripped with emotion. “I know you did. I meant forever, too."

When the aftershocks taper off, we’re still in a kissing frenzy, desperately hungry for one another. I feel enclosed and protected in his arms, as if nothing in the outside world could ever hurt me again. We stay like that until he slips free of my body, his seed spilling over our thighs. 

For some reason this strikes both of us as hilarious and we collapse in laughter, holding one another, snorting and whooping. We’re still fully dressed: my skirt rucked up around my waist, his chiton yanked aside. 

I begin taking off Hades’s jewelry. He’s wearing a headband-style crown and I realize as I look him over that all his jewelry matches mine. I smile as I unfasten his shoulder pins, baring his lovely marble-scarred skin, and find that he’s wearing Ione’s Eye on a cord, resting on his sternum. I touch it and smile. I’m glad he wore it.

Hades tightens his hold on me and stands up, carrying me around to the side of the bed. He pulls the covers down before seating himself again. I set down his pins and then his crown on the nightstand. He begins removing my jewelry, too. We make a pile that makes me think of a drakon’s hoard of treasure.

“May I take this off you, little goddess?” He tugs on the shoulder of my dress.

I’m amused that he needs to ask, but perhaps he’s also feeling the delicacy of our new beginning. “Yes, please.” 

I stand up and turn so he can lower the zipper for me. In a few moments we’re both naked. We climb into bed together, and I press my bare body to his. We breathe in time, our eyes locked. I finally remember what it is to be whole. His scent fills my head, and I’m enchanted with his size and power. So very male, so very different from me.

I rest my head on his shoulder, my hair spilling all over his chest. He grazes my back with long, feather-light strokes, just his fingertips.

“Please say it,” Hades whispers. His voice is full of pent-up emotion.

I raise my head to look in his eyes again. “Say what?”

“Call me your name for me. Please.” His eyes are wide and he’s entirely serious.

My smile threatens to split my face in half. “Of course I will. You know I love you for asking, don’t you?”

“Are you going to keep teasing me?”

“Maybe a little. Just for the joy of knowing you want it. I love you, Hades. My darling Smush!”

“Oh, Kore!”

“I missed you so much!”

He rolls me onto my back, nearly crushing me with the enthusiasm of his hug. I’m giggling with happiness, overjoyed by his emotional outpouring. It gives me both relief and elation to know that he’s just as deeply into me as I am into him. 

“Oof, you’re squishing me!” 

Hades moves immediately, up on his elbows and knees. “Sorry! I got carried away.”

“I know, and I love that.” 

I nudge him with my knee to lie down next to me. I can take pressure on my hips and legs, but not on my breasts and belly. That turned uncomfortable very quickly. Hades begins to nuzzle my breasts. He licks and kisses and gives me soft bites that make me gasp, then takes a nipple in his mouth and begins a tender suckling that eases the stinging ache that's been bothering me for weeks now. 

“Yes,” I whimper. “I needed you. I needed you so badly and you weren't here.” I comb my fingers through his hair, rub his neck, kiss his forehead.

“I know, Kore. I'll never let that happen again,” he says, releasing me. “I will stay by your side from now on. Nothing gets between us, not  _ ever.” _

He’s easing down my body, keeping his weight off me while kissing my ribs and belly, but I have no patience. “I need you inside me right now!”

“Already?”

“Now!” 

He lifts my legs up on his shoulders and slides inside. There’s no more resistance, just hot, pulsing desire. I moan loudly, throwing my head back.

Hades’s hands are busy, his voice raspy. “I needed you, too. I needed your eyes on me, and your steadying hands. I needed you telling me when I was screwing up and when I was overthinking.”

“I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere. We are one.”

He places his thumb on my clit and leans forward a bit, looking right into my eyes. “Tell me what you need.”

I feel a surge of joy at his words, his readiness to please. “Make me forget all the tears and the lonely nights. All the times I faked a smile for a friend. Make my throat hurt from screaming your name and not from sobs! Wear me out!”

“Always, little goddess,” he murmurs.

He’s not especially gentle this time and I’m glad. I need to feel his hunger, at least as much as his soft sentiment. He braces his arms and stares down at me, thrusting at a steady, irresistible beat. I slide my hands down his back and grip hard on the thick muscles of his butt, spurring him on with everything I’ve got.

It doesn’t take long at all for another orgasm to burst in my center. I cling to my lover and lose all coherence for several minutes. He rides me through it, seemingly unaffected.

“You have way more control than I do,” I tell him, still panting.

Hades grins at me, his eyes blazing. “All for you.”

“I want to be on top now.” I’m feeling a little too compressed. Not Hades’s fault, since I haven’t given him all the information yet.

“Okay.” 

He holds tight to me and rolls. Sometimes this works perfectly, but this time he pops free. I hold his shaft in my hand, aiming him just right, and sink down slowly. His eyes close and he makes a low sound of delight. 

Freed from pressure on my torso, I breathe deeply and begin to rock my hips. I’m still feeling a wonderful afterglow, and I know if I chase it I can probably come again. I give most of my attention to Hades, though. I want to please him. My hands dance over his chest, tracing and outlining, teasing his nipples.

“You’re so hard inside me,” I whisper. I lift my breasts, displaying them for his enjoyment. “I love feeling full of you.”

He groans. “Sexy little goddess. Tell me more!”

“I’m on fire for you. I’ve been turned on all day, anticipating this moment. So needy, so horny--I didn’t want to let anyone else touch me. When you stepped through that portal, that was nearly enough to set me off.”

He looks a little smug, hearing this, but I don’t mind. He deserves all the praise I can give him. He grips my hips and pushes up into me, making me groan from the grinding bliss of our joining.

“You are incredible,” he says. “My skin tingles where we touch. Goddess of Spring! I am yours to use as you please.”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “I am pleased to ride you like the big stud you are!”

My face heats in self-conscious embarrassment, but Hades doesn’t seem to mind my gushing. He licks his lips and grins at me, still bucking his hips at a frantic pace. His fingers find my clit, circle gently, and press on it. I hiss in response.

“I can feel you trembling inside. You’re close, aren’t you?”

I make a sound in my throat, unable to stop it.  _ “Yes. _ Are you?”

“So close! You said I had control, but it’s not true. All I have is the need to please you!”

“ _ Unh! _ You do! Oh, you please me so much!” 

I revel in this moment, this beautiful place, this private bubble with the man I adore. I'm floating away on a feverish, dizzying, whirling cloud of pure sensation. It would be a disturbing feeling except I'm not alone: Hades is with me, holding me tight, pulling me in for a kiss. We inhabit a higher plane together, shutting out every distraction outside ourselves.

I'm consumed with a hot glow, a beckoning potential that taunts me, just out of reach. "Yes oh _ please _ fuck me!" I cry.

Hades pinches my clit, just exactly right, and lifts me on his pistoning hips. “Come for me Kore, please! One more time! I need to feel you--”

I tip right over, falling, plunging in a spinning maelstrom of pleasure that blankets all my senses. My back arches and I cling to Hades, hearing him chant: “Fuck fuck  _ fuck, _ Kore, fuck!”

As I process the aftermath of that climax, I’m grateful we’re lying down this time. Hades holds me on his chest, our sweat cooling, our breathing gradually slowing. Eventually he rolls me onto my side, then covers my face with sweet kisses.

"Oh, that was  _ good.” _ I stretch, expressing my pleasure with my smile.

“Not quite to our usual standards,” Hades teases. He nibbles my chin, then slowly downwards.

“Picky! Believe me, deprivation gets me awfully worked up.”

He chuckles. “You’ll let me keep trying?”

I giggle. “What, you mean you don’t want to get up and join the party?”

“Oh, hell no, Kore. You are much better than any party.”

“I’m glad to hear you think so. What did you mean when you said you won’t let this happen again? You can't promise we'll never be apart.” It’s far from clear that my mother won’t come up with some sort of countermeasure.

“Yes, I can,” he growls, right against my throat. I shudder, feeling his ferocity like fire in my blood. “I won't allow it. I'll stop the turning of the seasons if I have to.”

“Hades!”

“You think I can't do it?” His eyes are ablaze with crimson fire.

“I wouldn't dare put it to the test.” I trail my fingers over his collarbone, a feather-light touch. A gentle offering to calm him. “The thing is--I'm Goddess of Spring.”

“Would you like an eternal Spring, Sweetness? Would you like to be Queen of the Earth? We can make it happen. There’s nothing we can’t do.”

I don’t doubt him in the slightest. With the mood he’s in, any obstacle in his way would be crushed to fine powder. I make my voice soft. “No. I would miss the Underworld, and Spring is about transition. That's something I've learned. My domain didn't have true meaning before Winter became so severe.”

“You like the new arrangement?”

“Yes. But only as long as I get to have you, too.”

“I will  _ not _ permit our separation again.”

“All right, Smush. I think we have enough leverage now. We won’t let it happen again.”

He nods, the intensity of his eyes easing to a lower level of vigilance. “You hold my heart in your hands, Kore. I can’t let you go.”

“I know. I know, Smush. It’s okay.” I stroke his neck, smooth his hair, kiss him tenderly. “You are mine. I won’t let you go, either.”

“I missed every bit of you.”

I can’t resist teasing him. “Oh really? You missed constantly sweeping up flower petals?”

“Yes.” His expression is completely earnest. “I missed waking up to your snores, and I missed the wet towels on the floor and the dishes in the sink and the way the dogs like you better. I missed four open bottles of the same kind of juice in the fridge, and tripping over your shoes in the middle of the floor, and the thicket of unmentionables hanging in the laundry room.”

He missed even my worst habits? My heart feels like it’s going to shatter. I can feel tears gathering. “Everything? It’s too much!”

“Oh, well, okay. I didn’t really miss the hair in the shower drain,” he says, cracking a tiny smile.

I giggle into his neck. “That’s better. I was starting to get altitude sickness from this pedestal I’m on.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Yes. I even missed you alphabetizing the cabinets and complaining when I feed the dogs ten minutes early. And your weird sock clips.”

“They’re not weird! They make folding so much more efficient.” He relents a little, smiling wider at me.

“The truth is I missed you every minute of every day, whether I was awake or asleep. I missed your hands and your voice and the heat of your body. I missed taking care of you and knowing I could rely on you to take care of me. Your letters were the only thing keeping me going.”

“Oh, Sweetness. Me too. Knowing that you fought so hard to keep us together, that you worked day and night to find the way to shorten our separation, and then you came here and put in all the effort to build us a sanctuary--that means everything to me.”

“You’re worth it. You’re more than worth it. I don’t want to live without you.”

“And we won’t. I meant it. Creating our own world, taking over this one, whatever it takes.”

My tears are flowing, and I have no ability to stop them. Hades kisses me, over and over, and holds me so close that I feel the rightness of his words. I’ve been working hard to influence my mother, to make her understand that I can’t live without him in my life. Maybe I’ve been approaching this all wrong. Maybe it’s time to be selfish.

“I have some ideas about that,” I tell him. “Let’s not do anything drastic yet. I think my mother understands now that if she wants a relationship with me, it has to be on my terms.”

He nods. “Okay. Sorry for getting carried away.”

“No, don’t be. I love that you’re fighting for us. I love that you missed me the way I missed you. It would be awful to realize you were indifferent.”

“Never. I never stopped missing you, not for a second!”

“I know, my lover, my Smush, my dearest.” I punctuate my words with kisses.

“I need to touch you everywhere, Kore. I need to memorize you again. I need to be yours and make you mine again.”

“Yes! Oh, I need that.”

He kisses me: his greedy hands moving, caressing, claiming. He cups and tweaks and strokes and his mouth slides wetly over my skin, tickling and giving me shivers. I watch him avidly, craving this astonishing skill he has to make my body sing. 

He slides down until he rests between my legs, his hair trailing over my belly, his big hands holding my thighs. His eyes are on mine, a scoundrel's unblinking stare, keeping my attention captivated while his talented tongue sets to work.

“Oh Sweetness,” he groans. “ _ My  _ Sweetness!”

He doesn't say anything else for some time, and I lose track of myself and the boundaries between us as he wrings cries from my lips and tremors from my limbs. My hands are threaded in his hair, clutching his head, accepting every marvelous kiss and lick he wants to give me. 

“Oh, please!” I finally gasp. “I can't anymore! Please, Hades, have mercy!”

He obeys immediately, raising his head and grinning wickedly, then smears sticky kisses across my belly and breasts as he pulls me into a hug.

I give him a deep kiss. “It's my turn, beloved. I'm going to make  _ you _ squeal!” 

He cups my face and smiles tenderly. “Persephone, I am completely yours--but you are insanely sexy and I have no control right now. If you go down on me I will probably come right away.”

“That’s okay!”

He chuckles. “I want to give you more, though.”

I can't bring myself to argue. He can have everything in my power to give him. “You’ll promise me another chance, then?”

“Yes. Starting in a day or two, anything you want.”

I smile. “All right. What may I give you instead?”

He grins and slides around on the bed, turning me on my side and cuddling up to my back. I can feel the hot pressure of his cock against the underside of my butt and I open my thighs for him. It’s slow and gentle this time, barely any movement. He kisses my neck and ears, and I seize his hand to hold tight against my heart.

“I love you, Persephone,” he whispers.

I try to answer but only a breathy sigh comes out. I wet my lips and try again. “Love you--oh!”

I was willing merely for the sake of his pleasure, but my own is rising again, tight and undeniable. The restraint he employs with me, putting my needs ahead of his own--it's all the more moving when he finally does lose control. And arousing. As he clutches my body to his, pumps hard inside me, groans against my throat, I'm driven to respond.

We lose ourselves in yet another explosive orgasm that shatters every barrier. Hades recovers before I do, whispering soft words of praise to me, touching delicately everywhere he can reach.

“Is it too much? Do you need a break?” he asks, sounding doubtful.

“No, of course not. I think you're starved for touch, and I know I am too.”

“I was starved for you. Um, if that's not weird to say.”

“It's fine, Smush. I feel the same.”

“You know what I noticed last week? You didn't take any of our toys with you.”

“No. I… I didn’t want any substitutes.”

“You didn't have to deprive yourself!” He looks a little guilty--maybe he's going to confess to masturbating. As if I didn't know that! He’s written me extensive details that I used as fuel for my own purposes.

“I held out a few days. Not out of virtue or something, just because it was too cold.”

“Oh wow! I mean I'm sure I made it at least two hours…”

I grin. “So you were going through my things? Looking for something to remind you of me?” My tone is teasing.

This apparently doesn't embarrass him. “I was packing stuff to send here. Special things for you to wear.”

“Oh, right. That whole suitcase of underthings I opened in front of Kynora.”

He sputters a laugh. “At least it wasn't your mother?”

“No, I don’t open things in front of her unless I already know what they are.” I roll over and cup his face in both my hands. “Shall I put something on now, for your entertainment, sir?”

He laughs. “Don't you dare get up, little goddess. I'm not done with you yet!”

***

It’s very late when we finally get the expected text, but we’re still awake, talking and snuggling. Drunk on one another. Hades’s phone buzzes and he scoops it up from the side table. 

“Hecate says everyone’s gone now.”

I’ve been waiting for this. “Great! Come on, I want to show you the house.”

Hades blinks at me in surprise as I leap up. He stretches his arms way above his head. I watch, entranced. It's delightful being reminded of how big he is. And that he's _ here.  _

“I can’t convince you to hold off on that until morning?” he asks.

“Nope. Up you get, lazybones!” I find my robe and his, just where I left them in anticipation of this moment.

“I think you’ve gotten used to giving orders,” he says. He takes the robe and rises, putting it on.

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“Not in the least.” He bends to give me a teasing kiss. “You know I like it when you’re bossy.”

I smile, and gesture for him to look at the wall. “The first surprise for you! Although you’ve really already seen it.”

Hades gives the mosaic behind the bed a long look, and nods with approval. “Is this the same artist who did the mosaics at the Trichotomeros?”

I’m pleased he made the connection. “Yes. Hera helped me track him down.”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen the city treated like a subject for art.”

“Why not? As you say, it’s beautiful. And I miss it.”

“You do?”

“Mm-hmm. Not like I missed you, though.” We share another lengthy, stand-up kiss and I can tell Hades just wants to go back to bed. I can’t let him. I have plans, and my stomach is fluttering with excitement. “Come down here,” I say, leading him to the sitting end of the bedroom. Between the armchairs is a small round table with a flower pot on it. “I repotted the camellia you brought me a couple weeks ago. It’s flourishing.” I grin at him, showing off my knowledge of his little transgression.

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, little goddess,” he purrs with a smirk.

“No, of course you don’t. It must have been some  _ other _ scoundrel who got through the security perimeter and didn’t disturb the dogs and smelled like a forest fire in Winter.”

“If such a thing had occurred, surely Demeter’s maternal vigilance would have caught the offender.”

“Uh huh. Come on, I have more to show you.” I open the bedroom door to find Cerberus waiting for us, still faithfully guarding. I drop to my knees and give him hugs and pets and praise. Hades watches us, smiling fondly. “Right, sorry, I got distracted. I’ll show you the house.”

The house is already very familiar to him. He’s been in on the entire design, and selecting almost every detail. I’m really just putting the pieces together for him, showing him where I chose to place various items, and how it all looks in context. There are a few small things that I’ve kept back as a surprise, though.

We walk out into the living room. It’s dominated by the huge, magnificent new painting. It depicts a Spring meadow in full bloom, a big stratovolcano smoking in the distance.

Hades’s expression shows his delight over the piece. “That’s gorgeous! It’s Psyche’s, isn’t it?”

“Yes. She’s been working day and night on it.”

“Huh. Poor thing.” He shakes his head and doesn’t say anything further, confirming a vague idea I’d had. I conceal my smile. If I’m right, I shouldn’t ruin his surprise for me.

I take his hand and lead him out to the terrace for a few moments, then show the dining room, kitchen, and family room. He nods and smiles, comments on my placement of some items or the outcome of various pieces he bought. I lead him down the hall of the guest wing, all the way to the end, and we peek casually into each of the guest bedrooms. Until the last one, right next to the kitchen. I turn on the lights, and tug him inside. It’s a small bedroom, completely bare of furniture. The walls are painted a warm cream color.

“I could have sworn I ordered furniture for this room,” Hades says. “Didn’t you like it?”

I gulp down my excitement. “I sent it back. It seemed more appropriate to wait, since I thought this might be the baby’s room.” I watch Hades’s face while I say it. After waiting nearly three weeks to tell him, I want to catch every nuance of his reaction.

His face goes absolutely blank, and then he tilts his head, as if mildly intrigued by my statement. “I’m sorry, I thought you just said ‘the baby’s room.’”

“That’s exactly what I said.” I move a step closer to him, take his hands in mine, and place them on my belly.

Hades’s face drains of color and his mouth works spasmodically: opening, closing, trembling. “Whuh?” 

His eyes have gone very big and he wobbles, then drops suddenly to the floor. I take advantage of this and straddle his lap, seating myself comfortably. “I’m pregnant. Eileithyia came to tell me a couple weeks ago. I’ve known for that long and I didn’t tell you because I wanted to say it to your face. I’m sorry for keeping it a secret, Hades. I love you so much. Can you forgive me?”

His mouth is still twitching. “Baby?” he says. His voice is cracked and high-pitched with shock.

“Yes, Hades, our baby.” I pat his hands on my belly. “Right in here. Eileithyia says it will be born sometime in the late Autumn.”

I can see tears forming in his eyes. “Really?” 

“Really. I know you must have questions. I had questions, too. Apparently my implant is gone, and it’s been gone for months. My guess is that the  _ anemoi _ took it.”

He blinks slowly. I’m not sure he’s assimilating anything I’m saying. “In the Autumn?”

Okay, he is; he’s just a little bit behind. “Yes, love. In the Autumn.”

He takes a long, deep breath and lets it out. His eyes spill over, tears flowing down his cheeks. “And you’re okay?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly healthy. Eileithyia says I’ll be fine.”

“Does anyone else know?” 

“I haven’t told anyone, but apparently a bunch of others will figure it out soon, if they haven’t already.”

“But we’re going to have a baby? A real baby? Our baby?”

“Yes, my dearest. Our baby.” I wrap my arms around him, and let my own tears fall.

We stay like that for some time: hugging, rocking, crying, and giggling. I’m so full of joy I could burst. I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. Hades doesn’t seem upset at all that I knew for so long and didn’t tell him.

He jerks suddenly. “Oh, wait! Did I hurt you? Could all that sex hurt the baby?”

I laugh. “No, not at all. Eileithyia says that’s always the first thing the father wants to know. There’s no way we could hurt the baby.”

His eyes get even wider than they were. “Father.”

I’ve had time to think about this, so I’m not surprised that this aspect of the news should hit Hades hard. I hug him tight. “Yes, I know. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be an amazing father, don’t worry.”

He doesn’t say anything for a long time, just rocks back and forth and watches me. “Do you really think so?”

“Yes. I’m certain.” I kiss him thoroughly. “I hate to cut this short but I have to eat now, or I’m going to be showing you the least fun of my new tricks.” My stomach is grumbling and I know better than to allow that to happen.

“Sorry?” He gets up willingly, holding my hand and following me to the kitchen.

“Morning sickness. Which is a huge, disgusting lie. I get sick any time of the day if I don’t eat often enough.”

“Oh.” He looks very troubled. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It’s normal, and manageable. I just have to eat regularly.” 

In the fridge I find a number of covered trays, leftovers from the party. Each is neatly labelled. I take out spicy chicken wings, beef skewers, and barbecue ribs. I set these on the island and Hades sits down at the counter to watch me. 

“Want to see my more interesting new trick?”

He nods solemnly. I open up the skewers, grab one, and take a bite, tearing the meat with my teeth. Hades gapes at me. 

“Holy shit!” he yells. Two of the dogs who were curled up nearby leap to their feet, looking around for whatever disturbed him.

“I know, right? My first clue that something was up was that the construction crew’s nightly cookout started to smell  _ really  _ good.”

“You’re eating meat!” 

“Yes, Smush. You want some?”

“You’re eating meat because of what I did to you!”

I giggle and finish the beef. I pick up a chicken wing. “I suppose that’s true. But it was my choice to start, and I’m okay with it.”

“Kore!” Hades props his elbows on the counter and puts his head in his hands. He looks about ready to collapse.

“I’m sorry, Hades. This is a lot of shocks for you all at once. I’d be more sympathetic, but if I don’t eat I’m going to throw up. Trust me, this is better.”

He thinks about that for a minute. “You knew for two weeks?”

I finish the wing and pick up a rib. “Mm-hmm. Almost three. I’m so sorry about that. I wanted to be the one to tell you. It was selfish of me to keep it to myself.”

“No,” Hades says. “You made the right decision. I wouldn’t have wanted to learn this in a letter. Or from someone else.”

“I’m so glad.” I would be more emotional right now, but I seriously need food. I can feel my stomach complaining that I’m not putting the protein away fast enough.

Hades picks up a rib and begins gnawing on it, watching me with open fascination. “ _ Damn, _ look at you, eating meat.”

***

We’re lying in bed again, naked in the dark. Our bare bodies rub together gently, stroking one another with tenderness. I wouldn’t mind having sex again, but Hades seems a bit emotionally raw. He’s absorbed with my body, though. He lies with his head against my hip: kissing and talking to my belly. I can’t see any difference yet, but maybe he can. I do know for certain that my breasts are bigger, but he hasn’t commented on that.

“This is going to sound weird…” he starts.

I'm playing with his hair. “Go ahead. I don’t mind. Honestly, all of this is kind of weird.”

He nods. “I thought maybe you tasted different, earlier.”

“Like when my period is coming on?”

“Yes, but not the same taste. Sort of… I’m not sure how to describe it. And you smell  _ incredible. _ I thought maybe it was just that I’d forgotten, but I don’t think that’s it.”

Hades is very sensitive to the cyclical changes in my body. I’m not surprised he noticed a difference.

“I missed how you smell, too. I’m so glad you’re here.”

He snorts into my navel, tickling me. “Me too, little goddess.”

“You’ll think I’m an idiot, but I should have gotten my period right around the time I left home, and I never noticed it didn’t come. I didn’t know about this until a couple weeks later.”

“I don’t think you’re an idiot. I know very well how stressed you were, and how sad.”

He puts his head back down on my hip, and traces circles on my belly and flanks.

“I’m sorry, am I being annoying?” he asks.

“No, of course not. I love that you’re just jumping right into this. I’ve had time to get used to it, and believe me, I wasn’t so calm at first. But you--you just accepted it.”

He smiles. “So much about my life has taken a turn for the better in the past year, that I’ve learned not to question my good fortune. If the Fates want to hand me my every dream, I’ll be there with both hands outstretched, ready for more.”

"Greedy Smush. Greedy sexy wonderful  _ here _ Smush." He lifts his head again and I cup his jaw while I squirm down on the bed. I can't get enough of his lips.

“Are you happy about this, Kore?” he asks, pulling back after a sweet, heated kiss.

“Yes, I am. I wasn’t sure at first, not at all. I mean, this isn’t the timing I would have chosen, and we really haven’t discussed this sort of thing. But yes. I’m delighted.”

Hades rolls onto his back, pulling me with him. I can feel his arousal, surging up again, even as mine is. I’ve been waiting, a little nervously, for the moment to arrive to test if he finds an expecting mother sexually attractive.

I’m delighted to find that he does.

***

I wake up in the dim light before dawn to the sound of dogs moving in the house and birds chirping outside. It’s gotten chilly, we must have forgotten to close some of the doors. I don’t really mind, though. I lie in bed, warm and content, gazing at my husband’s sleeping face. His mouth is slightly open as he breathes deeply. He seems completely relaxed but I can still detect the tiny divot in his cheek that becomes a dimple when he smiles.

I grin at myself. Completely besotted. I’d like to stay here until he wakes up but I have to eat. I slip carefully out of Hades’s arms and put on my robe, then pad out to the kitchen. I feed the dogs and then make myself a cup of tea and some barley cereal. After my heavy midnight snack I only feel up to a bland breakfast.

I open the terrace doors and the dogs follow me out, used to this morning routine. Cerberus curls at my feet as I sit watching the sun rise, eating my cereal. I pet him from time to time and he lifts his great head to look at me with doggy adoration.

When I’m finished, I go back to bed. Hades still appears to be sleeping but when I climb in next to him he rolls and embraces me, burying his face between my breasts.

“Where did you go, little goddess?” he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep.

“To get a snack. If I eat immediately after I wake up, I can usually skip the barfing.” 

Oh, maybe that was too graphic when the poor man is trying to seduce me. His roving hand stills and he leans back so he can examine my face.

“That morning sickness thing.”

“Yup.”

“That… is an  _ insane _ system.”

I laugh. “It’s true, but from what I’ve read I have a pretty mild case. As long as I eat frequently, I’m okay.”

“I would say I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you--”

“But you’re not really?” I giggle and nuzzle him. “I’m not sorry either.”

“It’s weird that the  _ anemoi  _ would take your implant.”

“I don’t know that much about them. They took the clothes and jewelry I had on, too. I guess they were trying for a clean slate?”

He shrugs. “Who knows?”

“Are you upset that we didn’t get to decide?”

“No… as long as you’re okay with it. You’re the one putting up with an invasion to your body.”

“I guess so, though I don’t think of it that way.”

“If we had decided to start trying--it would have been hugely stressful. I would have gone through that whole self-doubt thing again.”

I nod. “I thought of that. I kind of think this is better.”

He smiles and kisses me. “So, my divine tiny-footed mistress of Elysium, goddess of lascivious letters, hustler of kings, archetype of saucy bottoms, bringer of realm-shattering orgasms, and queen of the bedroom. What shall we do now?”

***

Mid-morning finds us still in bed, cuddled together, touching idly.

“It’s getting warm. Want to try out the pool?” I ask.

“Ambitious, are you? I figured we’d stay in bed all day.”

“That’s tempting, but I don’t think I can. It’s Spring, you know.”

“Ah, my little goddess needs to survey her domain?”

I laugh. “Something like that. I get restless.”

“Okay. A swim sounds great, actually.” He bounds out of bed, drags me with him, and carries me to the dressing room. 

I giggle and squirm, delighted by his playfulness. “I missed this so much!”

Hades sets me down on my feet and kisses me. “Me too. I feel like I’m waking up from a nightmare.”

“That’s exactly it.” I let him go and start looking for what I want to wear. It’s odd to be putting on clothes to go swimming, but I’m not going to swim naked outside. Not in the daylight in a place where everyone knows how to find me, anyway. I put on my Pomelia pendant and a green polka-dot two piece bathing suit.

“You wore that the first time we went to Poseidon’s place,” Hades observes.

“Yes. On our honeymoon.”

He grins wickedly. “We did everything out of order, except for this one thing.”

I smooth my hand over my belly. “You can’t tell yet, right? Not that I mind, but I wanted to keep this a secret between us for a little while.”

Hades looks carefully. “I don’t see any difference. But your breasts are bigger, though.”

“I wasn’t sure you noticed.”

“I saw when you got undressed last night, but I second-guessed myself. It made me all sad, thinking my memory of you was warped.”

“Should I have told you right away?”

He thinks about that for a moment, then shakes his head. “No. I’m glad we had our own reunion first, just for us. Because I was thrilled to get you back, just as you are. It was enough for me--all I dreamed of.”

“You never dreamed of this?” I cup my belly to show him what I mean.

“Well--” He hesitates for a long moment. “I did. But I thought it was an empty hope. I should know better than to doubt you.”

I can’t resist him. I grab his shoulders, pull him in for a long, tender kiss. “I wanted everything to be perfect. Our reunion, and telling you the news--and I was so afraid I would mess everything up. There was no one to talk to. No one who knew both parts.”

“You did just right, Sweetness. I've never been happier.”

“I never want to keep a secret from you again.”

“What, never?” His grin is teasing.

“It's too stressful!”

“Well, surprises are fun. If you get to the point where you're feeling up to that again, I won't mind.”

“That’s true. I guess those are little secrets, and that doesn't bother me.”

***

After a long swim we lie down together on the double lounger that I ordered specifically for this purpose. We spread out, enjoying the warm kiss of Helios’s rays, and relax completely. Pretty soon Hades is asleep with his head on my shoulder. I'm glad. I know he hasn't slept well while we were apart.

I can’t sleep at the moment. My mind is too active, my joy too sharp. He’s here. He still loves me, he still wants me, he’s excited about the baby and not upset that I didn’t tell him. We won. We came so close to giving up in despair, letting it all be torn apart, but we won everything--our marriage, our love, and hope for the mortals.

I hear a slight sound, a choked throat-clearing. I turn over to see my mother at the edge of the patio, as if she just climbed the hill from the North. She’s holding a large basket and wearing a plain peplos with her hair down. Big John, JP, and Fudge trot over to sniff her. Cerberus raises his head and watches her, but doesn’t move.

She holds her free hand out to let the dogs inspect her, but then her eyes meet mine. I rise from the lounger, gently extracting myself from Hades. He snorts loudly and flails one arm as he rolls, but he doesn’t wake. I grin to myself as I slip my robe on over my bathing suit. 

I walk right up to her and kiss her cheek. Her eyes are anxious.

“Good morning, Mama. Would you like some tea?” I smile as if nothing’s amiss between us. I’m letting her know that Hades being here is what I want. She can accept it, be polite, and stay, or she can take herself elsewhere.

“Certainly, darling. I brought muffins. They’re corn, with honey.” I nod. I know what that means. Honey is a concession to me that she makes occasionally, since she’s usually vegan. She’s saying that she won’t try to fight me about my husband’s presence. As if to confirm this, she glances at him, then away. She tries a vague smile.

“How kind of you, Mama.” I put the basket on the patio table and lead the way into the kitchen. I assemble a tea pot and cups, with jam and butter and some fruit. Mama watches me the whole time, shuffling nervously, but she doesn’t say anything until I set down the tray outside and we seat ourselves.

She accepts the cup I pour for her and watches me carefully. She takes a sip, and speaks, affecting casualness. “I heard you, this morning. I came over earlier but you were… busy.”

I know exactly what she’s referring to so delicately. I search my memory. This morning wasn't especially wild, not for us, but I suppose hearing me engaged in any sexual activity at all would distress my mother.

“Yes? Did you learn anything interesting?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. I refuse to be embarrassed. It’s my house, and my husband. I’ve got the right to have loud sex if I want. I take a muffin and cut it open, adding butter and jam.

“You’re still going to tell me that man cares for anything besides using your body?”

I sigh. “Mother… if you walked in the house while we were having sex, you must have heard enough to know that I was enjoying myself. How many times do I have to tell you I’m happy before you believe me?”

“It isn’t a question of your happiness right now. It’s a question of the inevitable disappointment that awaits you.”

I can’t imagine any disappointment in store for me could be greater than what I feel at this moment. Her stubborn insistence on denying my reality is a bitter pill to swallow. I take a bite of muffin. It’s delicious, which annoys me.

“I would really rather never discuss this topic with you. I’ll just say that if you show up here unannounced the event you heard is very likely to occur again. It happens with great frequency, I’m happy to say.”

She blushes and looks away. I’ve succeeded in embarrassing her this time. 

“So… that was some party last night,” she says after a minute.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Whoever came up with that idea must be very clever.”

“The shrine idea? That was me. I must thank you, Mama, for putting me through an intensive course on sacred law. I never would have thought of it, otherwise.” The party and his dramatic arrival were Hades's addition to the plan, though.

She nods. She looks hurt by this revelation. “So… this entire hill is consecrated.”

“That’s correct. The law says that nothing may infringe a god’s right to visit his sanctuary.”

“How very convenient.”

I say nothing. It  _ is _ convenient. I’m extremely proud of myself for thinking of it.

When I don’t speak, Mother goes on. “Of course he still can’t go anywhere else in the Mortal Realm. The Agreement still holds.”

“Yes, we’re aware.” Not that it matters in the least. I’ll do my work during the days, and I’ll spend my evenings with my beloved. I am perfectly fine with that arrangement.

I catch movement in the corner of my eye and turn to watch Hades. He’s stretching out his arms, making a show of waking up. No doubt our voices disturbed him. He rises slowly, his back to us, well aware that he’s on display. He’s wearing only his black swimsuit, that conforms tightly to his sculpted bottom. I bite my lip. I can’t tear my eyes away, though I’m aware my mother is watching  _ me _ now.

Hades picks up the loose shirt he took off earlier and slips it on, though he doesn’t bother to button it. He turns and meets my eyes. He knows what I’m thinking. His return smile is rich with promise. After a long moment he tears his attention away, and crosses over to the table.

“Hello, Demeter. Great to see you,” he says, with a credible pretense of sincerity.

I narrow my eyes, and wait to see what Mother will say. Somehow she gets the message that I won’t forgive her if she is rude to him. “Yes. It’s a lovely day,” she says, through her clenched teeth. “I brought corn muffins.”

“How kind of you. I think I’ll just go make myself a coffee, do either of you want anything?”

“I’d like some juice, please.”

“Of course, Sweetness.” He smiles at me and bends down to kiss the top of my head before going inside. I can’t help the way my eyes linger. After a month’s separation, I ache for him.

Mama clears her throat in a bid for my attention. After a minute or two without a response, she tries again. 

“I went to Attica yesterday, as you asked,” she says.

“Oh, how was that?”

“You’re right that there were major problems from the flooding. Many of the dryads there were quite curt with me, and the mortals seemed upset, too.”

“It’s funny how they get that way when their lives and the lives of their families are threatened.”

She bites her lip. “Yes, well. The good news is, they are very appreciative of what you are doing for them. They had nothing but praise for you.”

I sigh. On the one hand I like hearing that, but on the other, I didn’t want worshippers to come to me at my mother’s expense. “And is the floodplain dry enough for planting yet?”

“Yes, they’ve begun. I think the fields would benefit from your attention, though.”

“I can do that. In a few days, the seeds will be quite receptive.”

“The general seed propagation issue does seem to be clearing up. I take it you’ve managed to revitalize the dead grass seed?” she says. 

“Yes. I’ve toughened the seed coats so they’ll last through the Winter.” 

“How about the wheat cultivars? They seemed to be the most sensitive.”

“I’m making good progress. Not today, though. I’m ahead of schedule on my work and I’m taking some time off.”

“Oh,” Mama says, squirming in her chair. Her eyeline moves past me, toward the house, and I hear Hades approaching again. 

He sets down a coffee cup and a glass full of thick reddish liquid, with a straw. “I went a little overboard and made you a smoothie.”

I smile at him. He’s showing off in front of my mother, but he really is spontaneously kind like this all the time. “Thank you! You know how it is with the nymphs, I’ve got berries coming out my ears.”

“I can see that, from the state of the refrigerator. Have you been making preserves, too?” He picks up the jam jar from the table. 

“Yup. Had to do something with all that fruit. They can’t believe that I don’t need it.”

Hades grins and cuts open a muffin, then slathers it with jam. I watch him with fond devotion, Mother with barely-concealed hostility.

“Oh, delicious,” he says, after taking a big bite. “My compliments to both the chefs.”

I have to restrain myself from laughing. Mother looks ready to explode. I absolutely adore Hades for playing it cool. We hadn’t even discussed how to act in public after our reunion, but he’s picking up my cues without a bobble. Both of us are acting like there’s nothing unusual about the three of us sitting here, eating and drinking together, behaving like family. I wonder how long Mama can force herself to follow this lead.

She clears her throat and resumes the topic we had been discussing. “Darling, I sympathize with your desire to have a break, but is this really the proper moment? The grain season is well behind schedule, and time is limited.”

I take a long drink from my smoothie and just look at her. Hades finishes his muffin and starts preparing another. Mother begins to glance back and forth between us, her expression souring.

I let her wait a long moment before replying. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to gauge this year’s schedule based on the past, Mother. Agronomy has undergone a huge change. My projections indicate that all harvests will be complete before the weather changes, and the yield will be sufficient to support the mortal population.”

Mother frowns. “How can you be so sure, so early? Given established propagation rates, I think that’s optimistic.”

“You’re forgetting that mortals have new motivation to work hard in cultivation, weed removal, and irrigation. They know now that they can’t fully depend on us to take care of them. Furthermore, their population is significantly smaller than it was.” I note her scowl and guilty flinch. “Anyway, as I said,  _ my _ work is well ahead of schedule. I’m taking a few days off, and my decision is not subject to discussion.”

Her eyes widen in surprise at my tone, and then she directs a brief glare to Hades. 

He ignores this, drinking his coffee and smiling at me. “We’ve earned a vacation, haven’t we, Sweetness?”

I grin. “We have.”

I think about it from Mama’s perspective: it's not even lunchtime and so far today she’s caught Hades having sex, sleeping, eating large amounts of food, and now he’s talking about taking a vacation. He must seem thoroughly dissipated in her eyes. I can’t control my smile.

I don’t want to leave this conversation but I’m uncomfortably aware that I’ve had tea and juice this morning, and now the smoothie. One of many indignities of pregnancy is that I have to pee a lot more frequently. “Will you both excuse me for a minute?”

I rise and go into the house, starting to trot as soon as I’m inside. I don’t want to miss anything. I take care of my business and hurry back, pausing at the terrace door, just out of sight. I peer out to get an idea of what’s been going on in my absence. They’re still together at the table, but their attitudes have undergone a dramatic change. Mother is sitting in her chair, arms folded, spine straight. She’s fuming with anger and glaring daggers at Hades.

In contrast, he’s completely at his ease. His hands are tucked behind his head, legs stretched out in front of him. He put on his sunglasses, the scoundrel. He’s speaking with casual force, as if he prepared this speech.

“Do you know what she did, immediately after she saw your intentions?” he says. “Your killing frost? She went straight to Elysium and ordered the staff to start tearing up her forests, to make room for crops. To feed the mortals that you were so willing to throw away.”

“She cultivated her wilderness?” Mother says, taken aback. She knows the significance of this act to me.

“She did. Without hesitation. So don’t you dare tell  _ me _ that I’m warping her!”

“She’s always been soft-hearted, nothing would change that.”

“Oh, nothing, really? You have an amazing ability to believe what you want to. You know perfectly well she feels an obligation to the mortals. Your whole plan depended on it.”

Mother sneers. “Listen to you, disparaging the compassion of a person you profess to care about.”

“Persephone teaches me compassion every day. Enough so that I even have some for you, despite what you have done.”

“Keep your pity! I want nothing from  _ you. _ ”

“Except my wife.”

“You fucking monster, she’s not an object for your lust!” Mother snarls.

I flinch in shock. I don’t think I’ve heard my mother swear except once. Hades takes it in stride, a slow smile spreading over his face. “Do you think maybe you’re projecting your ideas of marriage there?”

“Marriage, right, that _ delightful _ institution. You went a whole month with no one to cook and do laundry for you. Am I supposed to cry for your pain?”

“Do you actually think I lived this long without learning how to take care of myself? And I would never impugn Persephone's skills in the kitchen, but have you seen how she folds towels?”

Mother snorts, which startles me. She sounds actually amused! “She never could--this is irrelevant! The point is she's too young for you, how can you be so selfish?”

“She's happy, I promise you. I can prove it, want to see pictures?” He picks up his phone and thumbs it. “Oh wait, not that one.”

Mother shakes her head violently. “I have  _ no _ doubt you are capable of manipulating a young goddess's feelings. What I don't understand is how you could imagine I wouldn't protect her.”

This is clearly the trap Hades has been goading her toward. His eyes light up with fierce joy as he replies. “The thing  _ I _ don’t understand is how you don’t see  _ your _ actions as manipulative. You’re treating her like anyone else would treat a mortal, and you’re not even trying to hide it.”

“Oh, and you’re not, with your waffles and your diamonds? Throwing stuff at her to make her care about you?”

His lip curls. “You literally don’t see the difference between gifts of love, and bribery? Wow. That says a lot.”

“How can you speak of  _ love, _ as if you were capable of it? If you actually loved her, you’d see she needs to be as far as possible from you!”

Oh, I do not want him taking up that idea again. It took months to get him to leave it behind. I step out on the patio, stretching and beaming at them, letting an abundance of flowers spill from my hair.

“Isn’t it such a lovely day?” I say. “The weather is finally getting to be pleasant.”

Mother directs a sad smile to me. “Yes, indeed, darling. You’re doing such an excellent job on this Spring, despite starting from almost nothing.”

Hades tilts his head back to look at me, and I run my fingers through his hair. A little possessive, a little reproachful. He smirks. He’s unrepentant and unfazed by my mother’s comments. 

I smile back at him, understanding his unspoken message. He’s right. I don’t need to soothe her. If she doesn’t like my choices, that’s just too damned bad. I seat myself on his lap and pick up the half muffin on his plate.

“So, Mama, is the barley cultivation not going well?” I ask, and take a bite. 

Big, gentle hands hold me firmly, and I feel Hades breathing and smell his scent. I can tell he’s pleased that I didn’t choose to placate my mother. Her eyes are wide with shock and something like betrayal. As if she really imagined that I’m a prisoner, and would never choose to demonstrate spontaneous affection to my captor. Although… that idea gives me hot, pleasant shivers. Maybe that’s a game we can play. Um… later.

Hades nuzzles the back of my neck and plants a lingering kiss. He draws it out, sucking just a little and letting his tongue touch me. Showing off again. It takes a major effort to keep myself from shivering. One of his hands slides over my belly, cupping protectively. The other is on my free arm, gripping my elbow lightly. 

From Mama’s waspish expression, she clearly interprets his actions as predatory. Another idea which--right, I have to focus.

“It’s within acceptable parameters,” Mother says, in answer to my question. “So what are your plans for your vacation?”

Hades snorts and looks up from nibbling my shoulder. “Under the circumstances, visiting the beach or going to the theater are not available to us.”

“Guess we’ll just have to stay home and think up ways to entertain ourselves,” I chirp. I smile sweetly at him, then turn back to look at my mother. “ _ What  _ a shame.” I take the last bite of muffin and pop it into my mouth.

***

When Mother finally leaves, we have another swim, and then lunch on the terrace. After cleaning up, we sit snuggling together, gazing at the view to the distant vineyards and the Northern mountains beyond. 

Hades is playing with my hair. “So, what  _ do _ we want to do on this vacation?” He grins at me, clearly thinking he knows the answer.

“I’d be happy just eating and making out with you. And maybe a little gardening, because I get itchy if I don’t do something.”

“Of course, Spring can’t wait.”

“It can wait a  _ few _ days. You’re more important.” 

“Do you know what I missed more than anything?”

I shake my head, fascinated. “No, what?”

“Having you in my lap.” He suits actions to words, pulling me against his body, seated across his thighs. His arms are tight around me and I nestle my face into his neck, inhaling his scent. “You’re so warm and soft. I love having your arms around me, your lips on mine…”

“My butt squirming against your boner…” 

He snorts a laugh. “Yeah, okay, fair point.”

“Sorry, I ruined your sweet confession!”

“Never,” he murmurs just before kissing me. “Never apologize to me for being as honest as you are.”

“Mmm. How about a nice shower?”

“That sounds lovely, Sweetness. I’m eager to see if the special shelf works as promised.”

I giggle. “Me too!”

He scoops me up, holding me tight as he strides into the house. I’m enthralled with him, with being held in his arms and feeling so safe and so cherished. I’d let him take me anywhere he wants, but all he wants is to please me. He only sets me down at the entrance to the shower, but I don’t let go. I hold his shoulders and kiss him, standing on my tiptoes. “You know, showers were on my list of things I missed the most.”

“Is that so? I wonder what else made the cut,” he teases, tugging on the strap to loosen my bathing suit top.

“Showers, privacy, Cerberus, and you,” I say promptly. I don’t really have to think about it. I shrug out of my top and slide the bottom down my legs. “You’re gonna like this shower, I think.”

He grins, slipping out of his own bathing suit and watching me as I turn the water on. “I already do. It has my favorite feature.”

I step under the streaming water and smile at him, holding out my arms in welcome.

***

We lie down together in the cool sheets of our big bed, still damp from the shower, bodies pressed together. Striving to get as much contact as we possibly can. I doze off in Hades’s arms, feeling his hands stroking me.

When I wake up, I’m curled in a little ball in the center of the bed. Hades is lying across the foot, his head resting on his folded arms. I can only see the top of his head, his hair all rumpled and drooping over his eyes, which are hot and focused on me. He’s dressed. I wonder what he’s been up to.

“Here, want a snack?” He leans over to the nightstand, and picks up a little plate with crackers, cheese, and sliced fruit on it.

“Thank you.” I munch slowly, watching him watching me.

“Feel better?”

“Yes. I think I’m going to need dinner soon, though.”

“Not a problem. I put something together from the party leftovers that I think you’ll like.”

“You did? How long was I asleep?”

“Over two hours.” He smiles, all smug and happy. 

“I guess I need to make up for last night. Pregnancy is surprisingly exhausting.”

His hand strokes my belly, so lightly, as if he’s not sure he’s allowed. “I don’t know what to say to you. I don’t know how to thank you for all you’ve given me, everything you’re willing to sacrifice for me.”

I set down my plate, then sit up and hug him. “It’s not a sacrifice. You’ve given me at least as much as I’ve given you. Needing naps and having morning sickness, it’s nothing, do you understand? I don’t mind it at all.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll believe you, but I can’t understand it.”

“Yes, you can. If you needed to go through some inconveniences for my sake, you wouldn’t hesitate. I know you wouldn’t.”

“That’s true. It just seems like more of a burden because it’s you that has to bear it.”

I smile. “I know that’s hard for you, dearest.”

“I guess. So will you let me take care of you, Kore? Take all the burden I can?”

He hardly needs to ask my permission, but I can see how serious he is. He needs this. “Yes, of course you can. After dinner, I’ll show you the books Eileithya gave me, okay?”

He nods, his expression lightening with relief. “Okay. Are you ready to eat?”

“Oh, definitely.” I’m not sure he understands yet how much my appetite has changed. He may have taken on more than he bargained for. 

Hades leads me out of the bedroom, and seats me out on the terrace, where the table is already set for us. He goes inside and brings out a big, steaming dish that smells wonderful.

“Oh, what is it?” I ask.

“Just a casserole made from leftovers. I’ll do some shopping soon for fresh stuff.”

“Kynora is used to shopping for me, or we can send to the village for supplies. And the garden is starting to produce, too.” 

Hades serves us both. It seems to be a dish with shredded chicken, vegetables, and sauce. I try it and it’s delicious.

“You’re such a great cook. Why didn’t anybody ever tell me meat is so tasty?”

He laughs, nearly losing it. “Sweetness, I will make  _ so _ many things for you to try!”

While Hades cleans up, I read a few reports that arrived while I was napping. Then I go find my favorite among the books Eileithyia brought. Hades makes a fire in the family room, and puts on his glasses. I try to conceal my smile. He gets self-conscious when I tell him how sexy he is, wearing them.

It’s a lovely evening, balmy, with just enough edge of coolness to make it pleasant to have a fire going. Hades and I settle on the couch with the book. He pulls me back against his chest, between his knees, and wraps a blanket over me. I smile. He’s clearly trying very hard to take good care of me, and I want to indulge him.

I rest my head on his shoulder and show him the book’s cover:  _ The Goddesses’ Guide to Pregnancy: What Your Acolytes Won’t Tell You. _

“Eileithyia said this one is full of good information without going overboard into preachiness and fear-mongering.”

“Is that a thing that books do? Seems rude.”

“Beats me. I figured she knows what she’s talking about, so I’ll take her advice.”

“Makes sense.”

I open the book to the chapter on early pregnancy and let him read over my shoulder. I’ve already read it cover to cover, several times, and there are parts I intend to point out when we get to them. I hold the book and turn the pages when asked, but otherwise I let all my attention settle on my husband. 

He’s warm against my back, and his hands move idly, touching me. He’s playing with my hair with one, the other resting on my abdomen. I don’t think he’s even aware that he’s doing that.

“Next page, please,” he murmurs, then kisses my ear.

I turn the page. We’ve arrived at one of the things I want him to know. I give him a minute, and then point it out.

“Did you see this? It says pregnancy can actually increase the mother's libido!"

"Are you serious? Well, it's a terrible sacrifice, but if necessary I'll give up sleeping and bathing to keep you sated.”

I laugh. “Your dedication is truly staggering! I must find a proper reward for such generosity.”

“You keep talking like that, little goddess, and I might start to think you’re in love with me.”

“At last! I thought maybe you would have gotten that clue by now.”

“What can I say, I take a lot of convincing.”

“Would you like me to convince you again?”

“ _ Yes, _ please--”

I set the book down, letting it slide down next to my leg, twisting to cup Hades’s jaw and kiss him back. His hands move slowly under the blanket, teasing along the edge of my shirt. I can feel my heartbeat speeding up, smell his wonderful scent, hear the dogs make sharp, sudden barks of alarm--

“Oh, am I interrupting?” says a voice, sweet and phony.

Hades pulls away from my lips, his hands tightening protectively, tension thrumming in his body. 

I look over to see my mother at the terrace door, acting as if she was just passing by and stopped to say hello. She knows perfectly well she’s interrupting; it’s exactly what she had in mind. I know Hades is annoyed to have his gentle seduction interrupted, especially by her. I feel his soft sigh. Nevertheless, he puts on a cheerful face.

“Would you like some tea, Demeter?” he asks. He tucks the book away under the couch pillow as I rise to go kiss my mother’s cheek.

“Thank you, yes, tea sounds lovely. Sweetheart, there’s a cold front coming in over the Adriatic and I’m concerned for the grain. It’s at a delicate stage.”

“I’ve already had a report about that, Mother. It’s going to meet a warm front shortly and turn to rain, mostly at Sea and in coastal areas. The grain will be fine.”

“I appreciate what you’re saying, but weather is notoriously unreliable. It would be tragic if any food crops were lost at this stage.”

Hades returns with a pot of tea and a plate of little cakes left over from the party. “Zeus promised us that the weather would be optimal for the entire season,” he says.

“He did. I understand your mistrust, Mother, but he doesn’t want to lose any more worshippers. Surely you can believe in his self-interest.”

“I’ve never made it a policy to leave things like crop safety to chance!”

“Some cold fronts and rain are necessary. The crops need water, after all,” I reply.

“So you’re just going to trust others in areas that impact your domain?” Mother asks, looking disappointed.

“Rather than what? Go out and stand in a rainstorm trying to make sure the grain only gets a proper watering?”

“You used to be more conscientious, darling.”

Hades scowls at this, but I’m not perturbed. I’m accustomed to dealing with this kind of criticism by now. “I used to have nothing else to do, and a lot less confidence in myself.”

Mother frowns, and glances around the room, looking anywhere but at my husband. “So you’re saying that now you have other responsibilities.”

“Yes, and I’ve learned to delegate. Aren’t you proud of me?”

Her eyes widen in surprise. “Yes, of course I am.”

“Good. Then please trust my judgment. The grain will survive, and I’ll be back on the job in a few days, as I told you.”

Mother can see that her excuse for barging in is wearing thin. She picks up her teacup to prolong things. I exchange a long look with Hades. His expression suggests he’s feeling a mixture of amusement and disgust, but he’s being patient. He folds his arms and waits.

I take one of the little cakes and eat it. It’s so good, I take another. No one speaks. 

It takes a minute or two for it to dawn on me. Neither of them is going to say anything because they’re waiting for me to act. I have to be the one to assert myself.

“Well,” I say, brisk and cheerful. “It was pleasant to see you, Mama. I’m sorry to rush you out the door, but I’m getting tired.”

Her eyes are both sad and angry, but what can she say to that? “Oh, well. I’ll be going. Good night, little bean.” She gives Hades the barest of nods and transfers away.

He hops up and begins collecting dishes, still silent. I follow him into the kitchen, carrying the remaining cups. “I want to thank you for being so tolerant. I spent the last month showing her how miserable I was without you, and I want her to see the contrast now. I know having her around is asking a lot. Especially since this sort of unannounced visit is already a habit with her.”

He smiles as he puts things in the dishwasher. “Putting up with someone you love? No, it’s not a lot to ask. It’s pretty basic.” He leans down to kiss me. 

“I don’t think it’s basic in this case, but thank you.”

Hades shakes his head, clearly wanting to put the topic aside. “You said you were tired.”

“I exaggerated.”

“Ah, I see. Then you’re not ready for bed?”

I grin. “I didn’t say  _ that. _ ”

He grins back. “Let me love you?”

“Forever. Don't ever stop.”

We go into the bedroom. I'm eager again, but it’s a bit difficult to define my mood.

“Shall we try out the new couch?” Hades suggests.

“Oh, yes! That's perfect.”

I'm suddenly drenched and quivering, intensely ready for the kinds of positions and diversions the couch permits. I also feel the urge to play at reluctance, to make Hades coax or command, but I can’t. I’m too hungry for those games just yet. 

“Any limitations, Sweetness?” He lifts my top over my head and drops it on the floor.

“My breasts hurt. Be really gentle with them?” I slip out of my shorts and underpants, standing naked before my still fully-clothed husband. I shiver with excitement.

“Of course. Nothing else?”

“No. I’m all yours. Work your will on me, sir.” Saying those words sets me on fire.

He smiles before settling his lips on mine. “I think I’m too emotional for any real power dynamics tonight.”

He has always been gentle with me, except when I request otherwise. Even then, he only flirts with the borders of authority. I suppose playing more in that space will have to wait, but I don’t really mind. We have all the time in the world.

“I understand. If you can be... intense, that will be enough for me.”

He chuckles and moves to stand behind me, looming and powerful. “I can manage that, little goddess.”

He leans down to breathe on my shoulder and neck, bringing his mouth close but never touching. I feel the heat of his body all over my back. His hands move through empty air, hovering just over my skin. I can barely draw breath. “Please?” I whimper.

“None of that, now,” he whispers into my ear. “Show a little patience, and you'll get what you want.”

I watch as his hand settles delicately on my throat, tilting my chin up so I'm gazing up at him. “Patience is very hard. I don't remember how.”

Hades smiles, his eyes narrowing. “I'm going to take that for flattery, rather than a request that I take the time to show you.”

I bite my lip, glad that he understands. 

“Don’t move, Kore. Stay perfectly still, just as you are.”

I whisper assent and he moves away. I hold still as directed and listen to the sounds of Hades undressing behind me. I close my eyes and picture his beautiful skin and muscles revealed as he strips. Fabric hits the floor with a soft swish, and then I hear the jingle of his belt opening. I shudder. More sliding fabric and a louder rustle.

I expect him to approach me from the back again, teasing me into reacting, but he doesn’t. I hear the sound of skin on leather as he sits on the couch. “Come here, Persephone.”

I let out the breath I was holding, and turn. He’s straddling the couch, quite obviously ready for me. I force myself to approach slowly, and he smiles. His hands reach out to guide me into straddling him, my back to his chest. He holds me tight to him, rubbing his cock in my wetness, making me moan. I can’t tell if he means to tease or he’s going right to it.

A big hand flutters delicately down over my belly to settle on my mound. His fingers stroke my labia, working them around his shaft, easing slowly inside me. I throw my head back against his shoulder and moan. “Oh, that’s so good!” I gasp.

“Let me hear you, Kore. Tell me what you’re feeling. Tell me what you like and you might get it.”

I fight down a whimper. “I’m so hot, down there. Tingling. Engorged. Ready for you.”

“I can feel it,” he says, stroking me harder. “The heat is pouring out of you, and you’re very wet.”

“I want you inside me, and I don’t, at the same time. What you’re doing feels amazing!”

He continues manipulating my folds, probing in shallow thrusts. “Just the right degree of teasing?”

“Oh,” I groan. “Yes. I’m… almost sore. Not quite though.”

“Nothing rough, understood.”

He kisses and sucks at my neck, holds me tight with one arm. With the other hand he firmly grips my mound, massaging deeply with his fingers into my needful flesh. Inside, his cock moves with tender slowness, never more than I can take.

I whimper and squeak. “You know me so well. You know exactly what I want!” My most sensitive parts are sandwiched between his palm and his cock and I can barely take the delicious pressure.

Hades sucks at the tender skin behind my ear. “Beautiful little goddess,” he murmurs. “Exquisite fertility goddess, dripping with power.  _ Mine. _ Mother of my child!” 

His free hand strokes over my belly and my core clenches. I’m shocked as waves of heat flow through my limbs, my sex convulsing, my voice crying out. Hades doesn’t stop, his hands and his mouth and his cock all moving in perfect cadence, drawing the orgasm from my body, knowing me better than I do myself.

I shudder weakly in his arms until I can draw a full breath again. I wipe sweat from my chest.

“Do you want me to finish?” Hades pants, soft in my ear. “I can, I know you’re tired--”

“No. Take all the time you like.” I lever myself forward from his chest and sit up, then stand. Hades watches me as I turn and settle again in his lap, this time facing him. He kisses me as his thick cock slides inside once more, where it belongs.

I hold him, loving the gentle attention, loving him, his skin and breath and muscles, the tendons standing out in his neck and shoulders, his shining scars, his eyes so full of tenderness. Straddling his lap, facing him while he sits up--this is my absolute favorite position. I love being able to look in his eyes and move freely, to have our hands free to explore. It’s definitely the most loving way to have sex that I know.

I roll my hips continuously in a tight circle. Each time I bring my pelvis to meet his, Hades emits a breathy little grunt and his eyelids shiver. It gives me hot pulsations inside, knowing I bring him pleasure.

When he comes it sets me off too, deep shuddering waves that clench my muscles around him, all the more exciting for being unexpected. He gasps, surprised by my orgasm, because I didn’t give him any warning. He goes on and on, whimpering and breathing hard through his nose, and the depth of his response keeps me going too.

I’m just barely awake as Hades carries me to bed. I cling to him as I drift off, deeply content.

**Author's Note:**

> Outstanding beta work by Red!
> 
> Extra help by Porkiswayne, roselessthorn, Spooks, Ellisemme, and VesperNights!
> 
> Follow @VerdiWithin on Twitter for updates & previews.


End file.
